The Catskill Chronicle

New York is First State in Nation to Take ‘P-TECH’ Program Statewide with 16 New Programs

NEW YORK STATE (August 29, 2013) – Governor Andrew M. Cuomo recently announced 16 winners of a statewide competition to form public-private partnerships that will prepare more than 6,000 New York high school students for high-skill jobs in technology, manufacturing and healthcare. Students will earn an associate degree at no cost to their families and will be first in line for jobs with participating companies when they graduate.

“We are making sure our students are more prepared for life after graduation by linking our the skills we teach in the classroom with the needs of 21^st century employers,” Governor Cuomo said. “This groundbreaking program will give students across the state the opportunity to earn a college degree without taking on significant debt from student loans while also starting on a pathway to a good-paying job when they graduate. These public-private partnerships are a model for success for our students, our employers and our regional economies.”

The NYS Pathways in Technology Early College High School (NYS P-TECH) partnerships will provide nearly 6,000 students with a high school diploma, college degree and pathway to a job. With today’s announcement, New York State is the first in the nation to implement a statewide “P-TECH” initiative that links education to regional economic development.

NYS P-TECH was announced as part of the Governor’s 2013-2014 Executive Budget and will receive additional funding and support through the State Education Department. The public-private initiative was launched in partnership with IBM, which helped create the P-TECH program and will provide tools, training and support to each NYS P-TECH school.

Winning partnerships were selected through a highly competitive process and represent leading industries in each of the state’s 10 Regional Economic Development Council areas.

The local area’s 16 NYS P-TECH partnerships are:

Hudson Valley

· Information Technology – Business: IBM
Higher Education: SUNY Orange
K-12: Newburgh Enlarged City School District

· Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) – Businesses: Hudson Valley Council of Industry

Higher Education: Ulster Community College, Dutchess    Community College, Orange Community College, Sullivan Community College and SUNY New Paltz
K-12: Regional consortium led by Ulster BOCES with fiscal lead Kingston City School District

Pending negotiation and approval of each applicant’s budget, the winners will spend the 2013-14 school year recruiting students, building partnerships and training teachers and principals, and will enroll their first class of students in September 2014.

The NYS P-TECH partnership builds on the nationally recognized success of IBM’s Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) in New York City.