Friday, September 3, 2010
LONG ISLAND EDUCATION AND BUSINESS PARTNER ON CAREER ACADEMIES
LIA, LI Works, Ford Motor Company Fund Team Up with School Districts in Bridgehampton, Central Islip, East Islip, Middle Country, Wantagh, William Floyd, and Wyandanch

Career academies have taken center stage around the nation in the effort to improve high school education.  The February 2007 edition of the American School Board Journal said that: “Today’s career and technical education is less about lug nuts and monkey wrenches and more about computer-aided drafting and pre-med bioethics.  And it’s for everyone, not just the kids who aren’t going to college.”

 

The achievement results career academies have produced have caused the Ford Motor Company Fund to support communities who wish to develop career academy networks through a 12-Point Action Plan.  This action plan was developed from a study done by Ford Motor Company Fund in conjunction with Social Marketing Services LLC to identify the best practices used by communities who have successful scaled and sustained career academy networks over time. 

 

The career academies being announced today will concentrate on the following industries, all of which have a strong presence on Long Island:

 

            Bridgehampton                      Healthcare

Central Islip                             Green Technology

East Islip                                  Environmental-Green

Middle Country                        Business Services

Wantagh                                  Global Business

William Floyd                           Healthcare

Wyandanch                              Information Technology

 

One benefit of career academies is that they better connect the business community with education.  That helps students learn more about the real world of work, improving their understanding of the career alternatives available to them and teaching them the basic skills needed in the working world, skills such as working in teams and thinking creatively.  Career academies also help employers because they provide a direct connection to young people interested in careers in specific industries. 

 

As part of the collaboration announced today, regional industry advisory boards composed of Long Island companies will be created to assist each career academy.  The Industry Advisory Boards will help the career academies with curriculum development, in-class expertise, workplace experiences, internships, and other initiatives.

 

In addition, the Ford Motor Company Fund, which supports career academies around the country, will assist with the development of the seven Long Island career academies by providing technical support on the 12-Point Action Plan as well as providing access and technical assistance for Ford Motor Company Fund's award-winning Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (Ford PAS) program -- an academically rigorous, project-based curriculum.  In Ford PAS, the academics are taught through the lens of business.  By working in teams, solving real-world problems and interacting with local business and industry, students are exposed to career opportunities in their community and develop critical 21st century skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, communications and teamwork.

 

Matthew T. Crosson, President of the Long Island Association said: “Career Academies are a highly effective way to get kids both motivated to learn and interested in the kinds of careers available to them.  They create a direct connection between schools and careers, and they enable a much closer relationship between schools, students, and employers.  We hope that these career academies will be the first of many, many more on Long Island and thay they will help keep talented young people in our region.”

 

Cheryl Carrier, Program Director for 21st Century Educations Program at Ford Fund said:  “We are thrilled to see the Long Island Association taking the lead on the development of career academies.  Career academies provide students with the opportunity to explore their academics in meaningful ways and demonstrate how learning math, science and English language arts is relevant to their future success."

 

Bridgehampton Schools Superintendent Dr. Dianne Youngblood said: "For Bridgehampton, Career Academies are a lifeline for energizing learning and linking students to real world learning."

 

            Central Islip Schools Superintendent Dr. Koenig said:  "The Central Islip Schools are proud to be a part of the Career Academies initiative for the 2008-2009 school year. We are most pleased to be engaged in the Green Technology sector, which helps us reinforce the pressing importance to our students of Green Technology and alternatives to fossil fuels not only for our Long Island, but for our nation and planet."

 

            East Islip Schools Superintendent Dr. Carol Eisenberg said: “We are very excited about Career Academies.  This makes school real for students, with relevant connections and relates to their own lives.”

 

Middle Country Schools Superintendent Dr. Roberta Gerold said: “We believe that students need to be involved - productively and happily involved - in relevant and rigorous learning experiences. They need to feel connected in order to self-motivate. We also want our students to develop skills and hone characteristics that will enable them to be successful members of Long Island's workforce.”

 

Wantagh Schools Superintendent Dr. Carl Bonuso said: “Career academies breakdown walls and build bridges between the work in school and its relevance and application to the outside world. Through this rich, rigorous, relevant, and dynamic curriculum students are "escorted" across that bridge to a world of mentors, role models, and partners in education....and it is these resources and "real world" relationships that add to the excitement and pride of being part of the Academy.”

William Floyd Schools Superintendent Dr. Paul Casciano said: “Through our Business Academy, our students see a clear connection with that they have learned from school, and how it applies to the workplace. Students need to see a relevance in what they are studying in high school.”


         Wyandanch Schools Superintendent Dr. Sherman Roberts said: "The Wyandanch UFSD is very aggressive in the area of technology. Partnering with the Career Academy in the area of Information Technology is very timely and apropos for the direction in which we are moving.  This real life experience is perhaps a dream come true for the majority if not all of the student participants”.

 

            Cheryl Davidson, Executive Director of the Long Island Works Coalition, said: “Career academies bring together workforce development, economic development and education, creating a pipeline for students to have successful careers on Long Island.”

 

Rick Delano, Consultant to Ford Motor Company Fund and President of Social Marketing Services, LLC, said: “As a school board member of the Bridgehampton Union-free District, I am very proud of our school’s implementation of the Landscape Design and Architecture Career Academy. We have progressed from offering a single course last year to a sequence of courses and the integration of our academic teachers into the academy model this year. We recently won a landscape design competition with students at a nearby private school. We need greater access to career and technical education on the South Fork and academies are the right way to deliver CTE today.”

 

Theresa Ahlstrom, LI Office Managing Partner, KPMG LLP, who will chair the Business Services Advisory Board said: “The importance of preparing students for the "real world" of work cannot be underestimated.  Career academies provide the prospect of not only accomplishing this goal, but also improving students' academic achievement by making class work come to life.  I am looking forward to helping to connect Long Island's business services industry with the Middle Country Career Academy, and additional career academies in the future."

 

Robert Catell, Chairman, National Grid USA, who will chair the Green Technologies Industry Advisory Board said: "National Grid is committed to developing green technology in the energy industry.  That will require future generations of talented, creative workers who are knowledgeable about green technologies and their value to the industry and the community.  This pilot career academy will lead the way in ensuring that those workers will come from Long Island and stay here to make this region and its energy industry a leader in the field."

 

Michael Dowling, CEO, North Shore-LIJ Health System, who will chair the Healthcare Industry Advisory Board, said:  "Healthcare is one of Long Island's fastest-growing industries.  It includes a wide variety of careers that will be attractive to Long Island students.  Career academies offer an innovative way to connect our healthcare industry's future employees to the real world of healthcare, while at the same time improving their educational experience."

 

Seymour Liebman, Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel of Canon U.S.A, which will participate on the Global Business Advisory Board said:  “A skilled workforce is a critical element for any business looking to prosper now and in the future. The establishment of a career academy program on Long Island will help meet this need for Long Island companies. Additionally, contributing to the community is an important part of Canon’s corporate culture, so we are pleased to support a program that provides new opportunities for Long Island students and prepares them for future success.”

Addendum:  Massapequa School District has recently decided to create a Health Career Academy for the 2008-2009 school year.

 

 

About the LIA - The Long Island Association - the LIA – is the voice of Long Island. Created over 80 years ago, the LIA brings together business, labor, education, government, not-for-profits, chambers of commerce and civic organizations working to make Long Island an even better place to live, work, raise a family, and do business.

 

 

About LI Works - The Long Island Works Coalition is Long Island's first comprehensive effort to forge collaborative working relationships between employers and the educational community. It is an inclusive coalition that brings together employers, government officials, educators on all levels, parents, and students to prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s workforce. Key programs include creating Advisory Boards in 70 districts, and hosting 11 Internship Fairs connecting 13,000 students to 850 businesses.  For more information, visit www.liworks.org.