Photo Courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
DOE Chancellor David Banks
By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Education (DOE) Chancellor David C. Banks on Monday announced the Career Readiness and Modern Youth Apprenticeship (CRMYA) program that will connect 3,000 students across more than 50 schools with paid multi-year apprenticeships. The program will place approximately 500 students in apprenticeships at companies focused on New York City finance, technology, and business operations by the end of 2023 and student apprentices will earn between $15 and $25 an hour as an entry level wage. CRMYA is part of Student Pathways, a historic expansion of career-connected learning opportunities for New York City public school students. The Pathways initiative is focused on putting each student on a path to a rewarding, engaging career, as well as financial independence and long-term economic security — the North Stars of the Adams administration.
The initiative and its affiliated programs are made possible by transformative public-private partnerships with businesses in collaboration with the New York Jobs CEO Council, which has already secured more than 1,000 CRMYA apprenticeships, supported by CareerWise New York. Bloomberg Philanthropies is also providing a major investment to the Fund for Public Schools to support this initiative — contributing $8 million to this program and expanding career-connected learning over the next two years, reflecting their work across the country.
The CRMYA is one of two key investments in Student Pathways. FutureReadyNYC — the second of the Pathways pilot programs — gives participating New York City public high school students access to career exploration in high-growth fields, including health care, technology, business, and education. This school year alone, more than 30 high schools will participate in the program, reaching approximately 5,000 students. The program gives students access to a reimagined educational experiences with the chance to receive early college credits and industry valued credentials, dive into opportunities for career connected coursework and work experiences, and support in building personalized college and career plans. FutureReadyNYC also lays the foundation for expanded Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.
Across these two initial programs, Student Pathways will ensure that — over the course of the next three years — students citywide will be able to engage in and benefit from career-readiness and college-readiness preparation before they leave high school.
“Student Pathways is central to our bold vision for the future and sets us toward an ambitious goal: Providing each student with a clear pathway to and preparation for a rewarding career and long-term economic security,” said DOE Chancellor Banks. “This work will give our students access to real world work experience, important professional skills, a strong college and career plan, and early college credits or industry credentials. All our young people should be prepared to set forth on a path that appeals to their passions and supports their aspirations. This initiative will benefit our students in communities that have historically been denied these opportunities, giving them earlier and expanded access to career-connected learning. What our children can achieve is unlimited if we help them activate their passion and purpose, giving them an onramp into the 21st century economy.”
