Bloomberg Announces 20 Public Schools Selected For Software Engineering Pilot Program
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - About 1,000 middle school and high school students in New York City will take part in a new software engineer pilot program beginning in the fall.
On Monday, Mayor Bloomberg announced the 20 schools selected to take part in the pilot program. The Software Engineering Pilot program is designed to prepare the students for work in the technology sector.
The pilot program was first announced during Bloomberg's State of the City address earlier this year. The students at the selected schools will receive a comprehensive computer science and software engineering curriculum.
The program is expected to grow to include 3,500 students by 2016, according to the city.
"We know it's vital to prepare our children to succeed in an increasingly technology-centered economy and the Software Engineering Pilot will help us do just that," said Bloomberg. "This groundbreaking program will ensure that more students receive computer science and software engineering instruction so that they can compete for the tech jobs that are increasingly becoming a part of our city's economy. We're creating the home-grown workforce our city needs and teaching our students skills that will open up new doors for them and their future."
Bloomberg Announces 20 Public Schools Selected For Software Engineering Pilot Program
Bloomberg announced the schools selected for the pilot program at the High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology in Brooklyn, which is among the chosen schools.
"The tech industry in New York City continues to expand significantly under Mayor Bloomberg's leadership, and our public schools are rising to meet the challenge," said Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott. "The Software Engineering Pilot will provide students with the foundational skills they need to compete for high-paying, career track jobs in a variety of professional fields. I would like to thank the educators at our 20 pilot schools who are working hard to make this wonderful opportunity a reality for their students."
The pilot program, which will begin in September, will focus on computer programming, embedded electronics, web design and programming, e-textiles, robotics and mobile computing, according to the city. Elective classes on offer in the first year will include digital fabrication, 3-D printing and animation.
The schools that were selected through a competitive application process are:
- High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology
- Brooklyn Technical High School
- The Bronx Compass High School
- The Renaissance Charter High School for Innovation
- Urban Assembly Gateway School for Technology
- Queens Vocational & Technical High School
- Cambria Heights Academy
- Ralph McKee High School
- New Dorp High School
- Ditmas Intermediate School 62
- I.S. 30 Mary White Ovington
- Mark Twain I.S. 239 for the Gifted and Talented
- Bronx Park Middle School
- M.S. 223 The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology
- Tompkins Square Middle School
- Nathaniel Hawthorne Middle School 74
- J.H.S. 185 Edward Bleeker
- Pathways College Preparatory School
- J.H.S. 157 Stephen A. Halsey
- Eagle Academy for Young Men
According to statistics, employment in the technology sector in New York City grew by nearly 30 percent from 2005 to 2010. Other new technology partnerships are expected to create more than 48,000 jobs in the technology sector in coming years, according to the city.
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