Five new career and technical education programs to prepare students for high skilled, high wage, and high demand jobs are being launched at four Paterson high schools in September, announced superintendent Eileen Shafer on Tuesday morning.

Students in the programs will have the opportunity to gain work experience through shadowing professionals and participating in internships. Each program follows a three to four years course sequence, capping off with an end-of-the program exam that allows students to earn an industry-recognized certification or credential.

Five new programs are:

• Engineering Technology at the Garrett Morgan Academy at International High School. 30 similar Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs exist statewide, only 18 are at non-vocational districts.
• Drama and Dramatics/Theater Arts at Rosa Parks High School. 19 similar CTE programs exist statewide and only five are at non-vocational districts.
• Logistics, Materials and Supply Chain Management at the School of Business, Technology, Marketing and Finance (BTMF) at John F. Kennedy High School. This is a state designated program of study that offers college credit, according to the announcement. There are three similar CTE programs in the state, only one at a non-vocational district.
• Marketing and Marketing Management at the School of Culinary Arts, Hospitality and Tourism (CAHT) at the Eastside High School. There are eight similar programs in the state.
• Education at the School of Education and Training (SET) at John F. Kennedy High School. Four similar programs exist statewide, only one at a non-vocational district.

The programs were recently approved by the New Jersey Department of Education, according to the announcement. Each will be entitled to federal funds via the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006.

“As a school district we have a responsibility to provide all the opportunities we can for students to find a path to success,” said Shafer. “These new programs are just the latest efforts to provide our students more pathways to careers that can lead them to personal fulfillment as well as high paying jobs.”

Shafer is also working on creating a sixth new program focused on information technology at the P-Tech initiative at Panther Academy for September.

“Getting this approval from the state means that the district will be able to more fully expose our students to more careers,” said supervisor of career and technical education William Graulich. “Students will have the ability to achieve academic success in the classroom, while gaining practical experience in the field in which they are most interested.”

The school district currently has seven other CTE programs. See below:

• Marketing & Marketing Management at the School of Business, Technology, Marketing and Finance at the John F. Kennedy Educational Complex. This program is under review for state Program of Study designation, which would allow it to offer college credit.
• Banking and Financial Support Services at the School of Business, Technology, Marketing and Finance at the John F. Kennedy Educational Complex.
• Dental Assisting/Assistant at the Academy of Health Sciences (HARP).
• Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant/Aide at the Academy of Health Sciences (HARP). This is a state designated program of study, which offers college credit.
• Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant the School of Culinary Arts, Hospitality & Tourism at the Eastside High School campus.
• Army JROTC/ROTC at the School of Government and Public Administration at the Eastside High School Campus.
• Computer and Information Systems Security/Information Assurance at the School of Information Technology at the Eastside High School Campus.

The five new program and the sixth at Panther Academy will bring the number of CTE programs at the district to 13.

Each program will be guided by an advisory board made up of experienced industry experts.

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