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

  • Minnesota District Converts Middle School into Community Hub

    White Bear Lake Area Schools in White Bear Lake, Minn., recently announced the end of a major renovation project that converted a former middle school into a new centralized district and community hub, according to a news release.

  • Myrtle Grove Elementary

    Phased Construction Keeps Students on Campus During Rebuild

    When Escambia County School District needed to replace most of Myrtle Grove Elementary School in Pensacola, Fla., it had three distinct challenges: honor the school's legacy in the community, bring state-of-the-art learning environments to the county, and be seamlessly built on the same site as the active school campus.

  • KWK Architects Announces Full Transition to Lawrence Group Branding

    KWK Architects recently announced that it will complete its transition to the Lawrence Group brand effective July 1, according to a news release. The merger marks the end of a three-year strategic integration process that began in March 2023 to unite the firms.

  • Montclair State University Starts Construction on $120M STEM Building

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $120-million Interdisciplinary Science Building, according to university news. The university partnered with HoK Architects for the project’s design, and it’s scheduled to open in time for the 2028–29 academic year.