Youth Workforce Nonprofit Teams with Inova to Introduce Under-Resourced Teens to Healthcare Careers

Inova hosts 21 Northern Virginia youth for 9-month, paid internships

ARLINGTON, VA. – Urban Alliance (UA), a national youth workforce development nonprofit, joined forces with Inova, the leading nonprofit healthcare provider in Northern Virginia, to introduce teens from under-resourced communities in the region to careers in the growing healthcare industry. The new partnership will provide 21 high school seniors from Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax County with meaningful early work experience and job skills training at Inova clinics, hospitals, and administrative offices throughout the region.

Through Urban Alliance’s flagship High School Internship Program, students will receive:

• A 9-month paid internship with Inova (part-time during the school year and full-time during the summer);
• Intensive professional job roles and life skills training (seven weeks of pre-employment training followed by 10 months of weekly skill-building workshops);
• One-on-one mentoring from an adult professional;
• Post-high school planning assistance; and
• Lifelong college and career support.

Founded in Washington, DC in 1996, Urban Alliance brought its intensive youth employment programming to Northern Virginia in 2013, aiming to expand economic opportunity and access to career options for economically-disadvantaged students in the region. In partnership with local businesses, UA has provided over 400 Northern Virginia students with paid internships, and another more than 1,350 youth with workforce readiness training. With 21 interns in the 2019-2020 school year, Inova is now UA’s largest job partner in the region. 

“Ensuring that all young people have access to lifelong economic self-sufficiency means preparing them with the skills, experience, and networks needed to succeed in the jobs of today and tomorrow,” said Eshauna Smith, Urban Alliance CEO. “Introducing youth to career pathways in the high-growth healthcare industry through this exciting new partnership can help to build a strong local talent pipeline and help our students discover new possibilities for their future.”

“We aspire to be among the leading health systems in the nation,” said Terri Feely, Chief People Officer, Inova Human Resources. “Investing in building a strong healthcare workforce helps to fulfill our mission and be a place where we attract and retain the best talent.”

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Media Contact: Tracy Connell, tracy.connell@inova.org , 703-289-2087

About Inova

Inova is Northern Virginia’s leading nonprofit healthcare provider, recognized in 2019 by U.S. News & World Report which named Inova Fairfax Hospital the #1 hospital in the Washington, DC region. Four of Inova’s five hospitals hold five-star rankings from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Our mission is to provide world-class healthcare – every time, every touch – to each person in every community we have the privilege to serve. Inova’s 18,000 team members serve more than 2 million individuals annually through an integrated network of hospitals, primary and specialty care practices, emergency and urgent care centers, outpatient services and destination institutes. Inova is home to Northern Virginia’s only Level 1 Trauma Center and Level 4 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Its hospitals have a total of 1,800 licensed beds. More information and statistics about Inova can be found at www.inova.org.

About Urban Alliance

With more than 20 years of experience providing workforce opportunities to thousands of economically-disadvantaged students in Chicago, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Northern Virginia, and Detroit, Urban Alliance has improved post-high school outcomes for underserved youth. A recent six-year study found that completing UA’s High School Internship Program had a measurable impact on young men attending college, mid-GPA students enrolling in four-year colleges, and students’ retention of professional soft skills. 100 percent of UA students graduate from high school; over 90 percent are accepted to college, and 80 percent enroll in college. A further 80 percent of enrolled alumni persist to a second year in college, and 80 percent of all alumni are connected to a college, career, or career training pathway one year post-program.