Governor Cuomo and IBM Announce Public-Private Partnership to Prepare NYS Students for High-Skills Jobs of the Future

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and IBM today announced a public-private partnership that will prepare thousands of New York students for high-skills jobs of the future in technology, manufacturing, healthcare and finance. In addition, IBM and other companies that participate in the partnership will put the program’s graduates first in line for jobs with these companies. This partnership was announced as a part of the Governor’s 2013-2014 Executive Budget.

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

Ten innovative schools—one in each of the 10 economic development regions—will participate in this new education model, which incorporates a six year program that combines high school, college and career training. Each student will have the opportunity to graduate with an Associate’s Degree. The goal is to help students prepare for a high-skill, high-demand career in a STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) field. This partnership will also help advance the Governor’s Regional Economic Development Strategy since the job training will directly correspond to employment opportunities in the regions.

The Governor’s Executive Budget proposal includes a $4 million increase for the Early College High School program (ECHS) – which will fund these 10 special programs, as well as additional traditional ECHS programs throughout the state.

IBM and other businesses will partner with each participating high school and college to provide guidance on workplace learning, including skills mapping, curriculum, mentoring, worksite visits, internships, and, most importantly, putting the program’s graduates first in line for a job with these companies. IBM will become the key partner for two of the schools.

IBM will also lead the recruitment of private-sector partners for the other regions, and provide training to participating schools/mentors, and share their state-of-the-art “skill-mapping” with all 10 schools and provide tools to help school leaders and teachers effectively integrate STEM into their school programs. Additional partners and resources will be announced in the coming months.

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