Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Colorado P-Tech Project Off the Ground

  • 09/08/15

Denver, CO – Earlier this month, the Colorado Department of Higher Education, along with the Colorado Department of Education, rolled out guidelines for how to start a “Pathways in Technology Early College High School” (P-TECH) in Colorado.

P-TECH schools are public six-year high schools where students can attain an industry-recognized associate degree, as well as a high school diploma. The schools are operated as a partnership between a school district, community college and an employer in a high-growth industry, and offer an education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses.

The schools must provide students with mentoring, internship, pre-apprenticeship and other workplace educational experiences.

“I’m excited to see us moving forward on P-TECH,” says Crisanta Duran, majority leader for the Colorado House of Representatives and sponsor of the legislation to create the P-TECH program. “P-TECH schools will provide students with an education that's explicitly designed to connect them with good-paying jobs in the science, technology, engineering and math fields.”

By 2020, approximately 74 percent of jobs in Colorado will require a postsecondary credential.

“One goal behind P-TECH schools is to provide a direct pipeline from studying to working and earning a living wage,” says Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia, executive director of Colorado Department of Higher Education. “Colorado is fortunate to have a number of innovative businesses that are hungry for talented workers, and P-TECH schools will help fulfill workforce needs.”

The Colorado Department of Higher Education and the Colorado Department of Education will jointly approve new P-TECH schools in Colorado.

The P-TECH model started in Brooklyn with a partnership between New York City Public Schools, City University of New York, and IBM. Now there are numerous P-TECH schools in New York, Connecticut, and Illinois, and by 2016 there will be an estimated 100 P-TECH schools.

Featured

  • El Paso District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The Canutillo Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, recently announced that construction has begun on a 119,000-square-foot elementary school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Pfluger Architects, Carl Daniel Architects, and LDCM Solutions on the new Davenport Elementary School, which has an expected completion date of 2027.

  • University of Arizona Approves New Residence Hall

    The Arizona Board of Regents recently approved plans for a new residence hall at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., according to a news release. The new facility is scheduled to open in fall 2028 and have the capacity for more than 1,200 students, enforcing a new university expectation that all first-year students live on campus.

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.

  • Construction Begins on New University Research Vessel

    Boat-building company All American Marine recently announced that it has begun construction on a new catamaran research vessel for the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) in Port Aransas, Texas, according to a news release.