Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the 31st proposal of his 2020 State of the State agenda – creating a comprehensive education and workforce training center to meet science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics job demand in Syracuse. The multipurpose facility will house a regional high school and a worker training and apprenticeship program administered by SUNY Empire State College and in partnership with other local colleges and universities.
“As the resurgence of Central New York continues, the region today has a record number of jobs that employers often struggle to fill with qualified workers,” Governor Cuomo said. “This new high school of applied learning and workforce training program will create a pipeline of educated, highly skilled workers who are equipped to tackle jobs of the 21st century that are driven by technology and are growing in the region.”
The Governor will create the state’s first regional high school to prepare high school students in the Syracuse region for 21st century industry careers. Students will be engaged in a rigorous and skills-oriented education focused on emerging technologies, project-based learning and collaboration. The school will provide specialized educational opportunities to ninth through twelfth graders residing in the City of Syracuse, the Onondaga-Cortland-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services region and the rest of Central New York, and will ultimately serve approximately 1,000 students, with 250 students per grade. The curriculum will be developed by local colleges including Syracuse University, Le Moyne College and Onondaga Community College.
The Governor’s proposal would also create a new state of the art workforce training program that will offer high school equivalency, advanced technical certification and college degrees. The program will prepare school graduates and any member of the community to enter emerging sectors by training them in applicable skills in advanced technology gained through apprenticeships with businesses across Central New York.
The new school will be housed at the historic Central High School Building, also known as the Greystone Building, in downtown Syracuse, which was last used as a school in 1976, to provide students a state-of-the-art facility and will be renovated prior to its new use.
Supporting the Syracuse Surge
The Governor first made supporting the Syracuse Surge – the comprehensive effort to foster inclusive economic growth and innovation in the City of Syracuse – a priority in his 2019 State of the State address. Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council has worked with city and county officials to identify and invest in a series of tech-related priorities in Syracuse. Funding for projects has been made available through CNY Rising Upstate Revitalization Initiative plan. Projects supported by Governor Cuomo as part of the Syracuse Surge include:
- Expanding the Syracuse Tech Garden
- Opening the National Veterans Resource Center in 2020
- Installing Smart Street Lighting in Syracuse Through the Syracuse Smart Cities initiative
- Supporting the ERIE 21 Initiative at Le Moyne College
- Creating Jobs in Syracuse By Expanding JMA Wireless and Bankers Healthcare Group Operations in City
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