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

  • Hawaii Elementary School Breaks Ground on New Classroom Building

    Kealakehe Elementary School in Kailua, Hawaii, recently began construction on a new, $16-million classroom building for its campus, according to a news release. The 13,000-square-foot building will stand two stories and connect the existing upper and lower campuses.

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.

  • University of Kentucky Receives $150M Gift Toward New Arts District

    The University of Kentucky’s Board of Trustees recently received a $150-million gift from The Bill Gatton Foundation, according to a university news release, to build a new arts district on the campus in Lexington, Ky. The new district will feature a new College of Fine Arts building and a multi-hundred-seat theater, among other amenities.

  • Preparing for the Next Era of Healthcare Education, Innovation

    Across the country, public universities and community colleges are accelerating investments in healthcare education facilities as part of a broader strategy to address workforce shortages, modernize outdated infrastructure, and expand clinical training capacity. These projects, which are often located at the center of campus health and science districts, are no longer limited to traditional classrooms.