Apprenticeship Programs will Triple and Launch at All 10 CUNY Colleges that Offer Associate Degrees in Collaboration with the New York Jobs CEO CouncilStudents in the Apprenticeship Program will be Paid, Earn Course Credit and Gain Hands-on Work Experience
From the Office of Governor Hochul. The original announcement can be read here.
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a $2 million State investment to add 12 apprenticeship programs at the City University of New York for its associate degrees starting in the Fall 2023 semester, a large expansion of CUNY’s offering of for-credit apprenticeships in in-demand industries. The additions build on the five existing apprenticeship programs embedded within CUNY associate degree programs in software engineering, consulting, finance, risk management and cybersecurity.
“Apprenticeships are a critical launch pad for good-paying, impactful careers and we’re proud to build a robust program for CUNY students,” said Governor Hochul. “With this additional $2 million investment, we’re able to expand apprenticeship programs for associates degree programs and open up new opportunities for New Yorkers and build our state’s talent pipeline.”
“Apprenticeships have always been a great path for young people to break into fields, offering them hands-on-work until they were ready to do the work unassisted,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “Students need experience and connections to the workplace beyond the classroom more than ever so they have clear pathways to careers when their education ends. I’m grateful to Gov. Hochul for investing in our students, and we extend our appreciation to the employers welcoming our students in two-year degree programs to high-demand jobs in their offices as we collaborate to strengthen our workforce.”
New apprenticeship offerings will launch at all 10 CUNY colleges which offer associate degrees; in addition to the seven CUNY community colleges, two-year degrees are offered at College of Staten Island, Medgar Evers College and New York City College of Technology. Employers hosting the apprenticeships will pay students, and the students will earn nine course credits.
Students will be placed in companies like JPMorgan Chase, EY, Citi, American Express, Deloitte, AIG, Mastercard and Wells Fargo, which are all part of the New York Jobs CEO Council. The Jobs Council is a coalition of CEOs from some of the city’s largest employers with the goal of employing 100,000 low-income and diverse New Yorkers — including 25,000 CUNY students and graduates — by the end of the decade.
“As a graduate of CUNY, I know how many opportunities this institution provides to New Yorkers,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Apprenticeship programs provide students with real-world skills and experiences that help them develop their interests and puts them on the road to a brighter future. With Governor Hochul’s $2 million investment in CUNY’s apprenticeship program, all students, especially our Black and Brown students, will have more opportunity to find good-paying jobs in finance, technology, and other fields.”
“These programs are game-changing for both students and employers,” said New York Jobs CEO Council Executive Director Kiersten Barnet. “Students get work-based learning opportunities that double as direct pathways into competitive entry-level roles. Employers get access to a wider pool of talent that reflects the rich diversity of our city.”
“The networking has been super helpful, where we can just approach a person in the halls and ask them about their service lines, about the work that they are doing,” said Borough of Manhattan Community College student Benjamin Abraham, who already participated in an apprenticeship at the professional services firm EY. “Coming into such a big company feels like such a huge mountain to climb, but this has been a smooth experience with a down-to-earth team.”
Abraham and his fellow apprentices at EY sit beside program facilitators during the four days of the week that they are on-site. In addition to being placed on specific teams, the apprentices are visited by guest speakers at least once a week; the senior leaders who visit them speak about how they have progressed in their own careers and lecture about their industries.
“As a large New York employer, embracing college apprenticeships has been eye-opening, forcing us to challenge our current hiring standards and question why, for certain roles, we have required a four-year college degree.” said EY Metro New York Office Managing Partner Alysia Steinmann. “In our rapidly changing world, we must quickly adapt to new technologies, and we should bring this thinking to hiring, too. By expanding our hiring pipeline to include skilled students from CUNY schools, we were able to access a broader and more diverse talent pool that, frankly, has exceeded our expectations.”
The expansion will create apprenticeships for hundreds of students. Most of them are in associate of applied science (AAS) degree programs, two-year programs designed to prepare students to directly enter a career after graduation, in comparison to the more foundational associate degree which more traditionally lead students to transfer into a bachelor’s degree program.
CUNY has prioritized the expansion of workforce development initiatives for its students and graduates. Such efforts include growing public-private partnerships with a $16 million investment in the CUNY Inclusive Economy Initiative; training students for financial careers through CUNY Futures in Finance; and placing students in public sector and nonprofit jobs over the summer via CUNY Career Launch. Chancellor Matos Rodríguez currently serves as the co-chair of the City’s Future of Workers Task Force, which was charged by Mayor Adams to explore ways to build the workforce, including expanding apprenticeship opportunities.
– Story courtesy of CUNY Office of Communications
