Mayor and Bloomberg Philanthropies Celebrate New Ward 8 ATC and Health Care Apprenticeship Program

Mayor Muriel Bowser was joined by Bloomberg Philanthropies and education and health care partners to celebrate the new Ward 8 Advanced Technical Center (ATC) and launch the new District-wide DC Health Care Employment & Apprenticeship Link (DC HEAL) program, which helps Career Technical Education (CTE) and other high school graduates gain hands-on apprenticeships in high-growth health care careers. Both the new ATC and the DC HEAL program are supported by a $9.5 million contribution from Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The Ward 8 ATC, located at the Whitman-Walker Max Robinson Center, opened this school year, expanding the District’s Career and Technical Education by offering more high school students from across the city the chance to earn industry credentials and college credits, complete paid internships, and gain clinical experience in fields like nursing, medical assisting, and emergency medical first response. Like the District’s first ATC in Ward 5, the Ward 8 ATC is administered by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education and is open to all DC Public Schools and public charter high school students. ATC students take dual-credit college courses from higher education partners Trinity Washington University and the University of the District of Columbia and engage in paid internships with employer partners in the high-demand fields of health care and cybersecurity.

The new DC HEAL apprenticeship offers CTE high school graduates interested in health care careers direct-to-work opportunities, creating pathways into high-demand roles such as certified nursing assistant and patient care technician. DC HEAL launched in August with five health care employers, including hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and community health centers across the District. Through DC HEAL, recent graduates are hired for one-year, full-time apprenticeships, gaining hands-on learning, mentorship from practicing professionals, and a living wage.

The new Ward 8 ATC expands opportunities for students in health care occupations, including certified medical assistant and emergency medical technician, both of which align to nursing degrees. The inaugural class started in August with 59 students enrolled from 15 participating schools.

DC HEAL is led by the DC Hospital Association and CityWorks DC, in partnership with Whitman-Walker, Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center GW Health, Children’s National Hospital, Forest Hills DC, and Stoddard Baptist Nursing Home.

DC HEAL is a long-term investment in DC’s future workforce and represents a true citywide collaboration between skilled nursing facilities, hospitals, clinics, education partners, and community organizations. We are proud to partner with businesses, education providers and community leaders to create an education and workforce solution that provides DC residents with pathways to upward mobility, and career opportunities in our health care system.

— Jacqueline D. Bowens, President & CEO, DC Hospital Association

Washington, DC offers CTE programs at 32 public high schools, up from ten schools in 2015. Programs available to students across DC include engineering, biotechnology, cybersecurity, nursing, EMT, teacher education and training, auto tech, and much more. And District high school students are taking advantage—CTE enrollment has increased by 90% since 2019.