Released by the Mayor’s Office, March 3, 2009
Mayor Menino celebrates opening of Longwood Medical Area Community Training Center
JVS, Sociedad Latina already utilizing classroom space for programming
Mayor Thomas M. Menino today joined leaders from various community based organizations and hospital administrators for a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open four new community classrooms in the Longwood Medical Area. The Community Training Center, housed in newly developed medical research and office space owned by BioMed Realty Trust, represent first-of-a-kind arrangements in Boston. As part of the community benefits negotiated with BioMed Realty, the classroom space was fully furnished by Berry Construction, the contractor for the development. Under the leadership of Mayor Menino, this partnership will allow for community groups from Mission Hill, the Fenway, Jamaica Plain, and Roxbury to have direct access to the Longwood Medical Area campus in order to hold education and training classes. This training will allow many people to prepare themselves for careers within the medical research and healthcare industry, one of Boston’s leading economic sectors.
“I’m proud that this innovative partnership will provide many more residents in the City of Boston with the educational and training opportunities needed for a career in the healthcare industry,” Mayor Menino said. “The space’s prime location in the Longwood Medical Area allows students from outside of the area to experience Boston’s healthcare industry, while also providing local institutions classroom space for employee training.”
Two community organizations, Jewish Vocational Service (JVS) and Mission Hill-based Sociedad Latina, have already begun to take advantage of the training space to host their programming.
JVS has received $1.5 million in funding to operate the Healthcare Training Institute from SkillWorks, a public/private funding collaborative that includes local and national foundations and the City’s Neighborhood Jobs Trust. This new grant builds on a history of serving entry level health care workers seeking to gain new skills and advance their careers in this important industry.
“JVS is thrilled to be partnering with the City of Boston, Skillworks, and health care employers on this important new effort to train entry level workers for higher wage jobs through more developed skills in the health care field,” Jerry Rubin, President of JVS said. “We welcome this ongoing investment in new training space and training by Longwood health care employers and community colleges as a bright spot in tough economic times. This creative linkage is a winner for all the partners and will help provide skilled labor for one of the few growing sectors in our economy.”
The Healthcare Training Institute, which will operate out of the Community Training center, will engage all of the major health care employers in the area, 2 community colleges, and a collaborative of community-based organizations in providing over 500 employees and community residents per year with a continuum of services — workplace education, college transition, student support/coaching, pre-employment — and career advancement pathways leading to mid-skill occupations in allied health and nursing. The classrooms’ proximity to employers makes it much more feasible for students to be able to attend class after work.
Sociedad Latina will use the Community Training Center to host their well-established career exploration program for high school students. The new dedicated classroom space will allow the organization to host groups more comfortably on the Longwood Medical Area campus.