Miami-Dade County will soon be home to its first technology-focused high school.
The city of Miami and Miami-Dade College are teaming up to launch a tuition-free charter school that will train students for in-demand tech careers. In a press conference this week, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and MDC President Madeline Pumariega said the program is part of a strategy to ensure Miami's workforce has the training necessary to meet the needs of the region's growing tech industry.
Right now, it's unclear who qualifies for the charter school or how students can apply. Those details will be announced in the coming months. Here's what we do know:
Launching this fall
The charter school will open in August at Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus in downtown Miami, according to the announcement. The school will begin with 200 high school students, but will eventually expand to a K-12 program.
Beyond a high school diploma
Students will leave the charter school with more than a high school diploma. Graduates will also receive an associate's degree in a technology field from MDC at no cost. That removes two years of college tuition fees for students seeking a bachelor degree and enables others to enter the workforce directly after high school.
MDC is already home to another dual enrollment program, the School for Advanced Studies. The program gives high school students the opportunity to graduate with an associate degree in the arts.
Funded by the state
MDC received a $2 million grant from the Florida Department of Education to start a technical education high school. The funding comes from an $89 million state initiative to boost career and technical training for students who may not want a traditional college degree.
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