Governor's Announcement: Governor Larry Hogan, Baltimore City Schools Announce Two P-TECH Sites

Innovative Program Provides Path to College Degree and Employment

For Immediate Release:
June 14, 2016
Contact:
Hannah Marr hannah.marr@maryland.gov
Shareese Churchill shareese.churchill@maryland.gov
410-974-2316

Annapolis, MD

Governor Larry Hogan, joined by Stanley Litow, president of the IBM International Foundation; Baltimore City Schools Acting CEO Tammy Turner; Acting Superintendent of the Maryland State Department of Education Dr. Karen Salmon; Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels; and University of Maryland, Baltimore President Dr. Jay Perman, today announced that Carver-Vocational Technical High School and Dunbar High School have been chosen as sites for new Pathways in Technology Early College high schools, more commonly known as P-TECH schools, in Baltimore City. Both sites are scheduled to be open for the 2016-2017 school year.

"Our administration is committed to thinking outside the box, and advocating for innovative solutions to ensure that every single child has the opportunity to get a world-class education, regardless of what neighborhood they happen to grow up in," said Governor Hogan. "With the announcement of Maryland's first two P-TECH sites, students in Baltimore City will have the chance to gain in-demand skills that employers need for the 21st-century workforce, and employers here in Maryland will gain a steady pipeline to skilled professionals."

The P-TECH education model, co-developed by IBM, is an innovative, nationally recognized approach that blends high school, college, and work experience into one educational program. In six years or less, students graduate with a high school diploma and a two-year associate degree in a STEM career field at no additional cost. These students will also benefit from career experience and mentorship in the workplace and will be first in line for skilled jobs upon graduation through partnerships with private sector participants. Each P-TECH school works with industry partners and a local community college to provide a curriculum that is academically rigorous and economically relevant.

“We thank the governor for his strong leadership in bringing P-TECH to Maryland,” said Stanley S. Litow, president of the IBM International Foundation and vice president of IBM’s Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs. “P-TECH was designed to address America's unacceptably low rates of college completion. Given the chance, P-TECH students are succeeding regardless of race, income, or geography. P-TECH schools will help put Baltimore youth on a path to earn college degrees and good-paying jobs. Governor Hogan, along with state and city leaders, are providing city students with these opportunities, critical to their future and economic success. IBM is committed to grow P-TECH across the city, state, and nation.”

P-TECH Carver and P-TECH Dunbar are set to open for the 2016-2017 school year through a collaboration with the Baltimore City Public Schools, Baltimore City Community College, and industry leaders. IBM will partner with P-TECH Carver (with a degree focus in cybersecurity and information technology [IT]), while Johns Hopkins University, Kaiser Permanente, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore will serve as the industry partners for P-TECH Dunbar (with a degree focus in health IT). Both sites were chosen by the Baltimore City school system, and each will receive $100,000 in grant funding from the state.

“In urban centers like Baltimore, we know that growing technology companies are creating jobs and opportunities, but if our youth are not prepared with the necessary skills, these opportunities will not be accessible,” said Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. “The need for better training opportunities is particularly true for young people in some of our communities that are frequently overlooked as a source for tech hires. That is what makes the possibilities of the P-TECH model so exciting. The P-TECH model can help bridge this critical gap and open entirely new pathways for long-term career success.”

“City Schools is excited to welcome P-TECH to Carver Vocational-Technical and Paul Laurence Dunbar high schools,” said Baltimore City Schools Acting CEO Tammy Turner. “In P-TECH, students will begin a path from high school to a high-demand job through early college and career technology education, including real-world experiences. Students graduate in six years with a high school diploma, an associate degree, and the skills and knowledge needed to be first in line to meet the demands of a fast-growing industry right in their hometown. Thank you Governor Larry Hogan, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, and our countless dedicated partners for bringing P-TECH to Baltimore.”

"The P-TECH program embodies the goal of Maryland education: to graduate students prepared for both additional education and the job market," said Dr. Karen Salmon, acting state superintendent of schools. "Baltimore P-TECH graduates will have cutting-edge opportunities in the 21st-century workplace, or have the option to move on to a college or university. P-TECH provides students with great choices."

“The P-TECH model offers transformational opportunities for Baltimore’s youth and a chance to prepare our city’s workforce for the jobs and careers of the future,” said Johns Hopkins President Ronald J. Daniels. “We are delighted to expand our longstanding relationship with Dunbar High School, working with this important public-private partnership to bolster the future growth of Baltimore.”

"Our population of health scientists and professionals needs to better reflect the populations of people they serve,” said Dr. Jay Perman, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore. "This is how you reduce the disparities we have in this country—and this city—in terms of healthcare delivery and health outcomes. We can improve the health of populations hardest hit by chronic disease by preparing students for health sciences jobs at UMB and at other allied health institutions, while at the same time offering economic opportunity to West Baltimore residents.”

In addition to P-TECH Carver and P-TECH Dunbar, four P-TECH planning grants have been awarded to launch additional schools in other parts of the state.

For more information about P-TECH schools, please visit www.ptech.org. For more information on Maryland’s Career and Technology Education programs, please visit www.mdcteprograms.org.

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