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The Business Council strongly supports $5 million in reappropriations for the New York State Pathways in Technology Early College High School Program (NYS P-TECH) contained in the Executive Budget proposal.
In 2011, the flagship P-TECH school — a partnership among IBM, New York City Department of Education, City University of New York and City Tech — opened its door in Brooklyn. The grade 9-14 school is already achieving impressive results: 97 percent of students from the initial 9th grade class are now juniors, and they are passing Regents exams at a higher rate than their peers. Upon graduation, P-TECH students will have earned a high school diploma and an associate degree in applied science.
Sixteen new schools in each economic development region of the state will be launched in September under the NYS P-TECH program. Additional funding in the FY 2014-15 Executive Budget would provide for more partnerships.
On the national and state levels, employers are having difficulty finding skilled workers to fill open positions, not only in terms of technical and/or academic skills, but in relation to “soft skills” such as showing up on time and working in groups. These partnerships between school districts, higher education and the private sector allow businesses to play a critical role in mentoring and providing work-site learning experiences.
For these reasons, The Business Council strongly supports $5 million in funding for additional NYS P-TECH partnerships.