State Education Department Awards $15.62 Million in Grants for Cohort V of the NYS Pathways in Technology Early College High School Program

The New York State Education Department awarded $15.62 million in new grants to six recipients for Cohort V of the Pathways in Technology Early College High School Program (P-TECH), Interim Commissioner Shannon Tahoe announced today. The program prepares thousands of New York students for high-skills jobs of the future in technology, manufacturing, and finance. The model incorporates an integrated six-year program that combines high school, college, and career training targeted toward academically and economically at-risk students. Recipients will receive funding over seven years contingent upon State Comptroller’s office approval of the grants.

“Strong partnerships are often essential to enhancing access to post-secondary opportunities for students in regions with the greatest need,” said Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa. “By providing students with the opportunity to graduate high school with the skills they need for a career in STEM and to earn college credits at no cost, the P-TECH program supports our efforts to advance educational equity while building a local talent pipeline for industries with a favorable job outlook.”

“The P-TECH program provides traditionally underserved students with opportunities to learn marketable skills and receive a college degree,” Interim Commissioner Shannon Tahoe said. “Upon completion of the program, students are prepared to enter the workforce or continue their education in high-demand and high-paying science, technology, engineering, and math fields. We are proud to support these important initiatives and make success achievable for all students.”

The NYS P-TECH model provides six core benefits:

1. A rigorous, relevant and cost-free grades 9 to 14 education focused on the knowledge and skills students need for STEM careers;
2. Workplace learning that includes ongoing mentoring by professionals in the chosen career sector, worksite visits, speakers, job shadowing, and internships;
3. Intensive, individualized academic support by K-12 and college faculty within an extended academic year or school day that enables students to progress through the program at their own pace;
4. Opportunity for any student in a funded high school to obtain college credit;
5. An Associate of Applied Science degree or the two-year degree that is the industry standard for the targeted jobs in a high-tech field; and
6. The commitment to be first in line for a job with the participating business/employer partners following completion of the program and satisfactorily meeting any employment evaluations

New York State launched the NYS Pathways in Technology Early College High School (NYS P-TECH) Program in 2013, a public-private partnership that prepares New York Students who have been traditionally underserved in post-secondary settings for high-skills jobs in STEM careers to build the local talent pipeline to the workplace. Sixteen NYS P-TECH projects were launched across the state and opened their doors in fall 2014. Between 2014 and 2018, the New York State budget provided funding for three additional groups of NYS P-TECH projects. There are currently 37 NYS P-TECH projects operating across the state, with this grant bringing the number up to 43. The enacted state fiscal year 2018-19 budget continues to expand the NYS P-TECH model.

NYSED awarded seven-year P-TECH grants to the following six recipients: