Our Impact
Gov. Hochul Announces $2 Million Expansion of CUNY’s Successful Apprenticeship Degree Program
Bloomberg, Travelers, and Northwell Health Join Ranks of Leading New York City Companies Providing Paid Apprenticeships to Students
Students in the Apprenticeship Program Will Be Paid, Earn Course Credit and Gain Hands-on Work Experience
Builds on Gov. Hochul’s Previous Expansion of the Program As Part of Her Commitment to Invest in Workforce Development Programs
Read the original announcement from the Office of Gov. Hochul.
Gov. Kathy Hochul today announced a $2 million investment to expand the City University of New York’s Associates of Applied Science College Apprenticeship program and grow the number of apprenticeship opportunities for students. This investment enables CUNY, in partnership with the New York Jobs CEO Council, to add additional employers to its network currently providing paid apprenticeships to students seeking associate degrees, growing the number of participating companies to include Bloomberg, Travelers, and Northwell Health. The expansion builds on a similar investment made by the state last year that supported the creation of 12 apprenticeship programs embedded within degree programs during the 2023-2024 academic year.
“Apprenticeships are a critical tool for many, offering students the chance to start their careers while they pursue a degree,” said Gov. Hochul. “Through this $2 million expansion, we’re opening up more apprenticeship opportunities for CUNY students and preparing the next generation of New Yorkers to secure good-paying jobs right here in our state.”
“We have already seen just how impactful an apprenticeship can be for a young person pursuing a two-year degree, and so it is only right that we offer even more of these opportunities for our students,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “As a paid pathway to a job with a major employer, apprenticeships can be a direct onramp to where they want to work after college. We thank Gov. Hochul for continuing to invest in the CUNY students who will be leading New York’s future workforce, and we are grateful to the employers who are welcoming our students and also reaping the benefits themselves. This latest expansion is part of CUNY’s efforts to better connect our students to the world of work and advance our strategic goals to lift New York.”
These apprenticeships will be available at the seven CUNY community colleges along with College of Staten Island, Medgar Evers College and New York City College of Technology, all of which offer Associate of Applied Sciences (AAS) degrees. An integrated part of the degree path, these paid apprenticeships allow students earn nine credits while they are employed for one or two semesters by a partner company. At the end of the experience, the intention is for successful apprentices to convert to full-time employees. The investment is a significant expansion in the number of apprenticeships offered in New York City.
“As the New York Jobs CEO Council, our member companies are committed to removing barriers to entry-level roles,” said New York Jobs CEO Council Executive Director Kiersten Barnet. “Companies like Bloomberg, Travelers, and Northwell Health believe that the apprenticeship models create equitable access to high-paying roles, whilst supporting their early career hiring strategy.”
Apprenticeships offered through this continued expansion will support hundreds of students, most of whom are in AAS degree programs, two-year programs designed to prepare students to directly enter a career after graduation. In comparison, other associate degrees traditionally lead students to transfer into a bachelor’s degree program.
CUNY has prioritized the expansion of workforce development initiatives for its students and graduates. Such efforts include growing public-private partnerships with a $16 million investment in the CUNY Inclusive Economy Initiative; training students for financial careers through CUNY Futures in Finance; and placing students in public sector and nonprofit jobs over the summer via CUNY Career Launch. CUNY Chancellor Matos Rodríguez currently serves as the co-chair of the City’s Future of Workers Task Force, which was charged by Mayor Eric Adams to explore ways to build the workforce, including expanding apprenticeship opportunities.
The City University of New York is the nation’s largest urban public university, a transformative engine of social mobility that is a critical component of the lifeblood of New York City. Founded in 1847 as the nation’s first free public institution of higher education, CUNY today has seven community colleges, 11 senior colleges and seven graduate or professional institutions spread across New York City’s five boroughs, serving more than 225,000 undergraduate and graduate students and awarding 50,000 degrees each year. CUNY’s mix of quality and affordability propels almost six times as many low-income students into the middle class and beyond as all the Ivy League colleges combined. More than 80 percent of the University’s graduates stay in New York, contributing to all aspects of the city’s economic, civic and cultural life and diversifying the city’s workforce in every sector. CUNY’s graduates and faculty have received many prestigious honors, including 13 Nobel Prizes and 26 MacArthur “Genius” Grants. The University’s historic mission continues to this day: provide a first-rate public education to all students, regardless of means or background. To learn more about CUNY, visit https://www.cuny.edu.
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