A federally funded consortium of local colleges and BOCES will continue its efforts to build career pathways in the emerging technologies under a new name.
The Tech Valley Career Pathways Consortium, formerly known as The Greater Capital Region Career Pathways Consortium, will receive $1.2 million in federal funding over the next three years to further the development of educational programs that prepare students for technical careers in the Tech Valley region.
The consortium’s membership includes Capital Region BOCES, Columbia-Greene Community College, Hudson Valley Community College, Questar III, Schenectady County Community College, SUNY Cobleskill and Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES.
According to Ted Hennessy, a program specialist with Questar III and the consortium’s grant manager, “Our partners believe that it is the consortium’s role to further engage educators in regional efforts to expand career opportunities for young people in the Tech Valley region. This name change is intended to reflect our alliance with businesses and economic developers and was adopted without hesitation by our partners.”
The consortium’s efforts during the 2010-2011 school year will include:
- Continued efforts to improve the college readiness of high school students (especially in math) through early college placement testing (11th grade), professional development for high school teachers and curriculum development.
- Continued support for program development and improvement through equipment and supplies acquisitions for Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs offered at local Community College and BOCES programs in the areas of 21st Century Manufacturing, Biotechnology, Nanotechnology, and the Green Technologies.
- Professional Development for school counselors, academic teachers and college faculty to promote awareness of emerging careers in the Tech Valley Region and skill requirements.
- Increasing student awareness of emerging Tech Valley careers through the continuation of Career Pathways Summer Camps in the Emerging Technologies for local high students.
Funding for the Tech Valley Career Pathways Consortium is provided by the federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 and the New York State Education Department.
