NIH Training Center Is Heading to White Flint
If you’ve ever considered taking an NIH training course and it seemed remote, you’ll now be much closer to taking one. The NIH Training Center is moving to a new spot more accessible to campus.
In July, the Training Center will move its headquarters from Rockledge to 11601 Landsdown St., North Bethesda, adjacent to the White Flint Metro, where they’ll share the building with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the FDA.
Your NIH badge will expedite your entry into the building through a dedicated NIH employee turnstile. Upon entering, trainees will pass under an archway into the new Training Center on the first floor that features three state-of-the-art classrooms with spacious seating, two breakout rooms, coffee service and a lounge.
The new Training Center is centrally located, within easy walking distance to many dining spots along the Pike, and there are multiple ways to get there from campus. The center is two subway stops from the Medical Center station. There also will be a stop along an NIH shuttle route.
Last year, Training Center staff sat around a conference table making a wish list for their ideal new facility; most of their ideas were incorporated into the build-out. They envisioned a bright, welcoming space with plenty of natural light, new computers and audio-visual equipment and breakout rooms. In fact, the staff custom-designed the space from paint colors and podiums right down to outlet covers.
"The new space has floor-to-ceiling windows, offering lots of natural light, and a soundproof WebEx recording room, which will allow for more online classes," said Barb Leclair, Training Center deputy director. "We’re trying to appeal to students by making learning accessible and more engaging."
To optimize space, all rooms are multi-purpose. They’re designed to be convertible for in-person or online classes, personalized training, team meetings or extra work areas.
"Every room is wired for maximum versatility," said Elena Juris, Training Center director. "We’re ready for just about every contingency."
As Juris and her team prepared for the move, they used the opportunity to assess training needs and trends.
"It’s been a good exercise to think about what training will look like as we become a much more dispersed population," she said. "People are more comfortable with WebEx, smartphones, remote training, [so we’re assessing] what’s convenient and what’s just shiny technology versus what’s a lasting trend."
While the Training Center aims to expand online course offerings, Juris said, they continue to evaluate how people learn differently and what they want most.
"We’re trying to build more of this technological versatility into the platforms we offer, while not getting rid of our core business, which is the face-to-face training," she said.
The Training Center offers all kinds of courses: from acquisitions to travel, powerful presentations to project management, professional development to supervisory training and the perpetually popular retirement prep classes.
Said Juris, "There’s more variety in what we offer now than ever before."
As the Training Center makes this transition, be sure to check all course confirmation emails for the latest class locations. The Training Center is committed to a smooth move and will help direct you to the new building so you can start building your new skills.
- The Training Center will hold an open house at its new location sometime this fall.
- For more information about the move, visit hr.nih.gov/training-center/about/nihtc-rockledge-facility-relocation or email NIHTrainingCenter@nih.gov.
- To search Training Center course offerings, see https://hr.nih.gov/training-center/course-catalog.
- The Training Center maintains a second site in Natcher Bldg., which will be unaffected by the move.