(Photo Courtesy of LaGuardia Community College)
March 13, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City is offering two tuition-free training programs aimed at equipping New Yorkers with essential skills for careers in healthcare finance and operations and supporting individuals seeking to complete their General Educational Development (GED) tests.
One of the programs, GED Express, is a free online evening course designed to help students who have not passed one or two subjects of the GED exam. The GED exam consists of four academic subject tests that certify knowledge equivalent to a high school diploma. This initiative provides an opportunity for individuals to complete their GED and move forward with their educational and career goals.
Meanwhile, LaGuardia’s Healthcare Finance and Operations Training Program recently celebrated the graduation of 26 New Yorkers from the program, previously called Medical Billing Specialist Training. LaGuardia said the new name reflects an expanded focus on a broad array of non-clinical healthcare topics, such as revenue cycle and patient access coordination, designed to meet the needs of employer partners.
The six-month program, which began a decade ago, is offered tuition-free and designed and funded through a partnership with the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS).
The program began when Harvard Business School Club of New York’s Skills Gap Project connected LaGuardia and Weill Cornell Medicine to develop a certificate program to prepare underserved New Yorkers for specialized entry-level jobs in healthcare.
Sunil B. Gupta, Vice President of the Continuing Education Division at LaGuardia, which oversees the Healthcare Finance and Operations Training Program, praised the Harvard Business School Club of New York for inspiring the program a decade ago.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Harvard Business School Club of New York for sparking our collaboration with Weill Cornell Medicine, which has led to partnerships with Mount Sinai and additional leading health providers in New York,” Gupta said in a statement.
Photo: LaGuardia Community College
Gupta also stated that the decision to change the program’s name reflected the evolution and expansion of the program.
“It’s a positive sign for the evolution of this program that after 10 years, it has been renamed as the Healthcare Finance and Operations Training Program. The new name reflects the many types of job opportunities open to students who complete this program,” Gupta added.
SBS Commissioner Dynishal Gross said the Healthcare Finance and Operations Training Program represents an excellent example of public-private partnership.
“The Healthcare Finance and Operations Training Program is a powerful example of partnership and public investment working together to create economic opportunity for New Yorkers while simultaneously meeting the needs of employers in a high-demand industry,” Gross said in a statement.
The program is specifically available for low-income New Yorkers with a high school diploma or equivalent who are interested in training for non-clinical positions with New York City’s top hospital systems. Entry-level graduates can expect starting salaries ranging from $45,000 to $50,000, with opportunities for advancement.
GED Express, on the other hand, focuses on the core subjects of social studies, science, reading, and language arts and provides a faster track to GED completion through targeted support and resources.
Funded by the New York State Education Department and City Tax levy monies, GED Express is operated by LaGuardia Adult Basic Skills, which serves more than 1,000 students preparing for their GED exams every year.
Maritza Pritsos, Senior Director of Adult Basic Skills at LaGuardia Community College, said GED Express represents a significant opportunity for individuals to start college or apply for jobs.
“ED Express represents a significant opportunity for individuals who have stopped out of the GED process to complete their education and achieve their goals, e.g., starting college or applying for jobs that require a GED,” Pritsos said.
GED Express classes begin this month, and students can enroll anytime, provided they have passed at least two GED subjects in the past.
All prospective students must take a four-hour, in-person placement exam, while the GED exam itself is computer-based and taken in person.
GED Express classes are taught on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Classes are taught in English.
Prospective students are encouraged to attend an information session through LaGuardia Adult Basic Skills to learn more about the program and placement exam requirements. To sign up for an information session, click here. Anyone with questions is encouraged to email hselaguardia@lagcc.cuny.edu or call (718) 482-5385.
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