New career paths coming to some Delaware high schools

(photo courtesy Governor's office)

(photo courtesy Governor's office)

Students in the Red Clay School District will soon get a head start on careers in fields like finance, nursing, teaching and engineering.

 

As part of a partnership between the Delware Business Roundtable, the Delaware Department of Education and others, $450,000 in public and private grants will help fund an expansion of the state’s Pathways to Prosperity program. The idea is to give students a head start in fields that offer the promise of better employment in the future economy.

“The path to middle-class security is not what it was thirty years ago and our approach to career preparation can’t be either,” said Delaware Governor Jack Markell. “Together we can ensure that all of our students are on a path to fulfill their educational goals and career aspirations.”

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Currently, 5,800 students are in the Pathways program across 38 high schools in the state. That’s an increase from 2,500 last year, and just one class of 30 students only two years ago. The third round of public/private funding will fund 23 programs at 16 high schools.

Programs starting in the 2017-18 school year include a finance program at A.I. DuPont High, a nursing assistance program at Conrad School of Science, a program focused on environmental and natural resource science at Thomas McKean High, a K-12 teacher academy at McKean, and a manufacturing and engineering program also at McKean.

“The Delaware business community has a strong interest in your success,” former Business Roundtable head Ernest Dianastasis told students Monday at A.I. DuPont High. Dianastasis, who is CEO of The Precisionists, added “In just two years, Delaware has made incredible progres. Delaware is on the forefront.”

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