Over the past ten years, industry commissions—composed of industry leaders, skills-based postsecondary training providers, and school-based staff—have provided resources for career-connected learning programs in New York City’s public schools, particularly CTE (career and technical education) schools. However, there is an urgent need to enhance the effectiveness and reach of these commissions in order to help fulfill NYC Public Schools’ “north star” of ensuring that all students graduate with a plan and on a path toward long-term economic security. To this end, JobsFirstNYC partnered with the New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) Office of Student Pathways to seek input from key stakeholders and develop a set of actionable recommendations for consideration by the Pathways Advisory Council and the Office of Student Pathways aimed at enhancing the effectiveness and reach of the industry commissions, thereby helping cultivate a highly skilled, globally competitive workforce in New York City.

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Methodology

To inform the recommendations in this report, JobsFirstNYC and the NYCPS Office of Student Pathways engaged a diverse group of stakeholders through a structured, inclusive process. This included a review of past efforts by industry commissions, research into national best practices in career-connected learning, and a series of collaborative engagements—from interviews with industry commission chairs and meetings with NYCPS leadership to the formation of a provisional Steering Committee and open-design sessions with partners across the system.

Thanks and Acknowledgements

This report would not have been possible without the leadership of the Office of Student Pathways. We would like to particularly thank Harini Venkatesh, Reina Utsunomiya, Eliza Loehr, Mary Beth Murray, and Jade Grieve, former Chief of Student Pathways.

We also extend our gratitude to the members of the Student Pathways Advisory Council and Industry Commission Steering Committee members. For a full listing of these members, see the acknowledgements section of the report.