| Releases
& Statements
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 13, 2007
Contact: Sarah Krauss
(212) 669-4691; (917) 541-0936
Release #: 026-2007
Gotbaum Calls for Expansion of State-Approved Career and Technical
Education Programs
MANHATTAN
– Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum today released a white paper
on the benefits of state-approved Career and Technical Education
(CTE) programs.
The
New York City Department of Education (DOE) recognizes nearly
500 career-oriented programs in high schools throughout the city
and lists them all as Career and Technical Education on its CTE
website. However, only 54 of the programs – approximately
11 percent – have been reviewed and approved by the New
York State Education Department (NYSED).
The
approved programs have a track record in improving educational
outcomes and job readiness skills:
-
In 2005, 97 percent of 12th grade students enrolled in one of
48 state-approved CTE programs in New York City attained a high
school diploma
- Sixty-nine percent of local CTE students graduating in
2005 enrolled in a post-secondary program
- Students who graduate from approved programs with technical
assessments qualify for jobs in growing industries making upwards
of $50,000
The
state approval process helps to ensure that programs bearing the
CTE label meet federal standards for best practices in career
education. The Office of the New York City Public Advocate recommends
that the DOE develop existing CTE programs in high-demand career
areas and submit those programs for review and approval by NYSED.
“State-approved
CTE programs provide students with an education which blends standard
academic work and career and technical training, as well as essential
job-readiness skills,” said Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum.
“These programs prepare students for real-world professional
experiences and give them the skills they can use in the classroom
and in life.”
In a report released last year on healthcare career opportunities
for CTE graduates, Gotbaum's office found that while each year
7,600 new living wage healthcare jobs become available, the DOE
prepared only 185 students through these state-approved programs
in 2005. As a result, thousands of students missed an opportunity
to fill these jobs upon graduation.
The white paper
released by the Office of the Public Advocate is here.
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