BMCC Partners with CDI to Help High School Graduates Enter College

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 have provided 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 now 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 BMCC 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. After the "boot camp," they entered the MAS training and completed in July 2015. Those participants have now begun a 180-hour internship in a doctor's office, hospital or clinic in the NYC area. After completing the internship, they will be eligible to enter a one-year Health Information Technology (HIT) certificate program 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.