ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app

ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app Community College unveiled an exciting new initiative Wednesday that creates a runway for high school ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app to earn extensive college credits before completing their associate’s ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app in just one year at ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app.

Developed over the past two years, ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app’s Early College Pathways offers high school ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app an accelerated roadmap toward earning an associate’s ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app while also connecting them with relevant career resources and training. The Pathways are designed for ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app and their families to easily understand the skills to develop and courses to complete to earn their chosen ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app.

The initiative was shared Wednesday at a conference with leadership teams from school districts across ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app and Oswego Counties.

“Building our Early College Pathways and connecting ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app to ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app and career possibilities have been long-standing strategic priorities at ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app, and I’m proud to see them come to fruition,” said ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app President Dr. Brian Durant. “These are designed to help high school ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app and their families understand the best route forward to a college ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app and a well-paying career. We’re excited to partner with our local school districts on this new initiative.”

“Our Early College Pathways offer equitable access for high school ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app to identify and pursue their chosen ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app and career. We believe that through these pathways, ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app will understand their options and how to achieve their goals, helping them build the skills they need for a successful future,” said Professor Sarah Yaw, ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app’s Director of K-12 Partnerships & Academic Pathways.

ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app developed eight pathways that guide high school ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app and their families on how the student can earn credits toward an associate’s ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app at ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app. If the student completes the necessary credits in high school, they will have the opportunity to complete their associate’s ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app at ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app in one year, setting themselves up to transfer to earn a bachelor’s ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app or start their career.

The initiative features pathways in the following programs:

• Business Administration
• Electrical Technology
• Human Services
• Law and Public Safety
• Mechanical Technology
• Nursing
• Psychology
• Studio Art & Design

The pathways clearly outline college courses the student should take in high school, then courses they need to take at ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app to complete their ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app. In addition, the pathways offer transfer options, show possible careers and earnings related to each ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app.

Simultaneously earning high school and college credits creates an accelerated pathway for ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app to transfer or, in the case of Auburn High School grad and ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app alum James Mark, start their career.

Mark completed his high school ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app while earning numerous college credits, then received his A.A.S. in Electrical Technology from ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app at no cost. He started at Waygate Technologies upon graduating, soldering cable harnesses before he was 20 years old. He was recently promoted to Shop/Plan Operator-Expert, and discussed his experience at Wednesday’s conference.

“The progress made from graduation to being a new hire to earning my first promotion has been rapid, and an amazing journey,” said Mark. “In conversations at work, we still use terms and topics I learned at ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app, so I doubt I’d be this far along if it wasn’t for that experience. I highly encourage everyone to consider a similar pathway to earn their high school and college ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½apps while preparing for their chosen career field.”

Initiatives like the Pathways announced by ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app are essential to preparing the future workforce, said Dr. Gretchen Schmidt, a Senior Fellow at the National Center for Inquiry and Improvement and the guest speaker at Wednesday’s conference.

Citing evidence from a recent study from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, titled “The Future of Good Jobs,” Schmidt said future careers that lead to a living wage will require a postsecondary credential.

“The work that ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app is undertaking in partnership with local school districts is critical for the economic mobility of members of your community but also for overall economic growth in the region,” said Dr. Schmidt. “By working together, in more innovative and collaborative regional partnerships focused on programs that lead to a living wage, educational institutions and employers can increase economic opportunity for current and future ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app. This is hopeful work — for ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app, their families and the community at large.”

Connecting high school ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app to career pathways has also drawn support from district leaders at CiTi BOCES and ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app-Onondaga BOCES, as well as Marq Brown, Vice President of Human Resources and Chief People Officer at Oswego Health.

“As the Baby Boomers continue to exit the workforce, it’s critical that we provide opportunities for Generation Z ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app to explore pathways into industries that are already seeing shortages,” said Brown. “Five years ago, Oswego Health partnered with ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app Community College and three local high schools in an Early College Health Sciences program to create these pathways. Our first cohort of 24 ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app just graduated, each with over 30 college credits toward healthcare programs like nursing and medical imaging.”

Dr. Brian Hartwell, District Superintendent of ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app-Onondaga BOCES, and CiTi BOCES District Superintendent Christopher Todd said collaboration between educational institutions and industry leaders will lead to stronger results for ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app.

“ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app’s Early College Pathways program is a game-changer for our ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app. By providing a clear and accelerated path to both college credits and career readiness, we are equipping our ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app with the tools they need to succeed in today’s competitive job market,” said Dr. Hartwell. “This initiative reflects the strength of our partnership with ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app, and our commitment to fostering educational excellence and creating opportunities for all ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app in our region.”

“At the Center for Instruction, Technology & Innovation, collaboration is at the heart of everything we do,” said Todd. “We are dedicated to fostering a cooperative environment where ideas and expertise converge to enhance educational experiences. By working together, we can create innovative solutions and provide valuable opportunities that open doors to student success.”

The Early College Pathways are the latest addition to ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app’s concurrent enrollment initiatives. The College currently has diverse programming agreements with 31 school districts across Central New York, offering high school ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app the opportunity to earn credits toward a college ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app.

The College has also recently developed the Early College Pathways Scholarship, which will offer annual scholarships to ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app based on the college credits they earned in high school through ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app’s concurrent enrollment programs.

Over the upcoming academic year, ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app will work with participating school districts to implement the Early College Pathways. The College is also working with four-year institutions to develop additional pathways in high-value ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app programs. This initiative will help ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app in ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app and Oswego Counties complete a bachelor’s ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app in less time at less cost and enter the workforce at a higher wage.

For more details about Early College Pathways at ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½app, visit /academics/high-school-programs/cayuga-advantage/pathways/.