Thanks to funding through NYC Small Business Services (SBS), and the NYC Mayor’s Office, a new partnership has been formed between BMCC’s Center for Continuing Education and Workforce Development and the non-profit career-readiness organization, Comprehensive Development, Inc. (CDI).
Together, the two organizations are providing Medical Assistant Specialist (MAS) training to recent graduates of three New York City high schools: Manhattan Comprehensive Night & Day High School, the High School for Health Professions and Human Services, and City-As-School High School.
That training is being followed by an internship period, then an opportunity for the students to enter an allied health certificate program at BMCC and earn three credits toward an associate degree.
Transitioning into college and a career
Twenty-six participants started in January 2015 at the Center for Continuing Education and Workforce Development with an intensive “boot camp,” in which they reviewed customer service skills and brushed up their reading, writing and math skills. They entered the MAS training in Spring 2015, and completed in July 2015.
Those participants have now begun 180-hour internships in doctor’s offices, hospitals and clinics in the NYC area. After completing the internship, they are eligible to enter a one-year Health Information Technology (HIT) certificate program at BMCC and earn three college credits toward an associate degree in Allied Health Science at BMCC.
“BMCC’s Center for Continuing Education and Workforce Development is continuing to pursue partnerships that align with the Career Pathways Initiative out of the NYC Mayor’s Office. Recent high school graduates, today’s youth, are the workforce of tomorrow and it’s our responsiblity to support their successful transition into college and a viable career,” said Sunil Gupta, BMCC’s Dean of Continuing Education and Workforce Development.
