The new facility, which will help students earn certification as certified nursing assistants or patient care technicians, will be built near a new hospital scheduled to open next year.
“As we continue to reimagine high school and work to ensure all graduates are prepared for their next steps, we recognize our Advanced Technology Center as an excellent model,” Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (Democrat) said in a statement. She called former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and his 2020 presidential endorsement, a “champion for education,” adding that the donation will “put more students on a path to high-paying, in-demand jobs.”
Currently, about 200 students commute from their high school to ATC for classes each day. Teens in the program say they value the opportunity to pursue their interests and like the school’s close-knit community.
The program is paying off in other ways, too: Students who participate tend to have higher attendance rates than others, according to an analysis by the D.C. superintendent of schools. They also graduate with industry certifications and college credits aligned with the University of the District of Columbia’s cybersecurity program and Trinity Washington University’s nursing track.
Interest in the two-year program has more than doubled in its first two years, officials said, and the city announced earlier this year that it would receive a $4.1 million grant from the Biden-Harris administration to expand capacity to 300.
The new facility is expected to open at the Whitman Walker Max Robinson Center in the 2025-2026 school year and will accommodate about 50 students in its first year.
The city will match Bloomberg Philanthropies’ contribution with local funds, according to the budget. The proposal, which the D.C. Council is expected to approve on Wednesday, comes as students and parents are calling on school leaders to expand job-training programs that have been resurgent in schools in D.C. and across the nation in recent years.
“This partnership helps nurture and sustain our community by creating a lasting pipeline of good jobs with good benefits that start in high school,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. “That’s what schools are for — helping students grow and pursue their dreams, including living, working and raising a family.”
Imani Watson, 17, was drawn to ATC this year by the promise of a future and the opportunity to earn college credits. She rides in a van to her nursing classes from her high school at Friendship College Academy.
“It’s not hard if you put your mind to it,” she says. Classes are small and students are treated like young professionals, something Watson appreciates as she prepares for an internship at Sibley Memorial Hospital this summer. It’s another perk of the program. “It’s a great opportunity.”
Health training programs are a focus for Bloomberg Philanthropies, which in January launched a $250 million effort to create new high schools in cities including Boston, Dallas and Durham, North Carolina, that will send graduates directly into health care jobs.
“We know that more than half of the country does not have a four-year education. [bachelor’s degrees] “Students don’t have a lot of options if they choose not to go to a four-year college,” said Jenny Sharfstein Cain, who leads Bloomberg’s career and technical education portfolio. “I think we’re seeing that across the country because more students are looking for a pathway to a career, more students are looking to go directly into the workforce and start earning money.”
With the opening of the new ATC, students will experience the city’s first new inpatient facility in more than 20 years. Officials hope that Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, scheduled to open in early 2025, will bring about a revitalization of the east side of the Anacostia River by connecting underserved residents to emergency, primary and specialty care closer to home.
The DC tech center expansion also includes a bridge program designed by the DC Hospital Association, a membership organization representing the District’s 13 hospitals, to connect graduates with hospitals, community health clinics or other health care providers for interviews and the first step in their careers.
Hiring data shows that new health care workers will gain real-world experience before or while they pursue a degree or higher certification — a potential boon for a city that needs an additional 570 nurses and 700 new licensed practical nurses, medical assistants and nursing assistants by 2030.
“This program is designed to get them on the first step of their medical career journey and take them to the next level,” said Justin J. Palmer, DCHA’s vice president of government relations and advocacy.
But there are still hurdles the health care industry must overcome if it wants to retain workers. D.C.’s labor shortage is an issue of wages and competition, said Joshua Harold, vice president of the training and employment fund for the 1199 Service Employees International Union.
“Working at Amazon or Walmart in the district can make as much as a nursing assistant and it’s a lot less stressful,” she said. “It’s something that only a special kind of person can do. … It’s not a glamorous job, but it’s very meaningful work.”
According to the ATC website, students interested in attending ATC must fill out an application of interest and speak with a school counselor.
