Victoria ISD partnered with IBM to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) across the globe on Wednesday, Oct. 13.
VISD is among many organizations that have made P-TECH a success since IBM co-founded the first school in 2011 together with educators. The model is designed to bolster business and improve STEM career readiness, particularly for under-represented communities.
P–TECH schools enable students to earn their high school diploma and college credits linked to growing, competitive STEM fields, and offer students workplace experiences that include industry mentoring, worksite visits, paid internships and first–in–line for job considerations with a school’s company partner.
“The P-TECH model is part of IBM’s longstanding commitment to education and skilling with a focus on underserved communities. We are thrilled to see more learners benefitting from the program, and how many young people worldwide are increasingly gaining exposure to disruptive technologies for STEM careers in all industries,” said Lydia Logan, VP of Education at IBM. “The expansion of this school model is part of IBM's goal to skill 30 million people of all ages with new skills needed for modern jobs by 2030.”
Today, VISD joins the network of 210 P-TECHs in the United States, which has grown by 82 schools during the past year in this country alone. Schools now collaborate with 200 community colleges worldwide and are affiliated with at least 600 industry partner companies, which provide mentorships, internships and relevant workplace experience to students.
VISD currently offers three P-TECH pathways in Healthcare, Computer Science, and Education and Training. The district works with Victoria College and the University of Houston-Victoria to provide students the opportunity to earn college credit hours by the time they graduate high school at no cost to the student or parents.
Support teams across the district help students throughout their studies, including Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) strategies incorporated in their high school courses on how to organize, study, plan, take notes and manage time.
“The mission of P-TECH is to develop an educational mindset connecting all students with their aspirations and real-world experiences,” said Martin Sanchez, administrator of P-TECH for VISD.
To learn more about P-TECH at VISD, visit https://ptech.visd.net/o/ptech/.