Source: Crain's New York Business
August 28, 2013
By Theresa Agovino
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The city will get one of 16 schools modeled on IBM's P-Tech program, which offers students a high school diploma and an associate's degree, as well as a pathway to a good job.
New York City will be home to one of the 16 schools participating in a public-private partnership program that offers students a high school diploma and an associate's degree at no extra cost, as well as the opportunity to land jobs at participating companies.
The program builds on the success of IBM's Pathways in Technology Early College High School, or P-TECH, which opened in 2011 in Brooklyn.
Software company SAP will partner with the city school that will specialize in preparing students for jobs in information technology. SAP will develop the curriculum with New York City's Department of Education and the City University of New York. The program is slated to open in the fall of 2014. The location of the school wasn't disclosed.
"We are making sure our students are more prepared for life after graduation by linking the skills we teach in the classroom with the needs of 21st century employers," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a statement. "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."
The program was announced as part of the governor's 2013-2014 executive budget and will receive additional funding by the state Department of Education. New York state is the first in the nation to implement a statewide "P-TECH" initiative that links education to regional economic development, according to the governor's statement.
Winning partnerships were selected through a competitive process and represent leading industries in each of the state's 10 Regional Economic Development Council areas.
"This extraordinary replication of P-TECH throughout the 10 economic development regions sets New York apart as the first state to ensure that rigorous academics in these schools are directly linked to great careers," said Stanley Litow, vice president of corporate citizenship and corporate affairs at IBM, in a statement.
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Read the original article on Crain's New York Business.
