Page 10 - Skills - 2024

GETTING SKILLS
Youth Programs
Help High Schoolers
Build Skills
BY DAVID LEVINE
Above: Peekskill P-TECH Director Dr. Melanie
Roman leads a planning meeting with the program’s steering committee, which includes Peekskill staff, community partners, and representatives from Ossining Schools.
Opposite page: Students
at Charles E. Gorton High School in Yonkers can receive free EMT training through a collaboration with Empress EMS.
Westchester middle and high school students who want to begin building job skills have numerous programs at their disposal. Many schools offer after-school enrichment programs in STEM/quantum computing, career and technical education (CTE) classes, and pre-apprentice programs in a variety of fields.
One of the most extensive programs is the New York State Pathways in Technology (NYS P-TECH) program. P-TECH enables students in grades nine and up to earn both
a high school diploma and a no-cost, two-year postsecondary degree in a STEM field. Students gain workplace experience, mentorship, worksite visits, and paid internships. After they graduate high school, students may continue to a four-year degree or begin careers in IT, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and other competitive fields, often at local institutions that coordinate with the program.
SUNY Westchester Community College (WCC) runs the P-TECH program at three Yonkers high schools. Lisa Santalis, assistant dean of high school partnerships, says WCC provides 24-30 credits’ worth of college classes to high school students at three Yonkers
8 2024 SKILLS What’s Hot. What’s Next. What’s Needed.
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