Through Apprenticeship and Internship programs, students from CUNY and SUNY schools are able to apply their classroom learnings in hands-on and real-world settings – a strategy which promotes student success outcomes. SUNY and CUNY will also expand their offerings in mental health training programs to increase the number of trained professions and better meet the demand of New Yorkers.
The CUNY Apprenticeship Program assists in developing pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships in technology, healthcare, education, construction/trades and other high needs fields identified by the New York City Regional Economic Development Council. In partnership with NYSDOL’s Apprenticeship Office, CUNY is well-positioned to leverage resources at the community colleges to expand apprenticeships in regionally significant, emerging, in-demand industries and occupations that can help create stable, professional careers for the University’s students.
This initiative will help expand a high-skilled workforce through registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs in all industry sectors beyond construction. Through four strategies, SUNY and NYSDOL aim to maximize access for participants in high demand, competitive wage occupations, throughout the State of New York, while growing engagement of employer and campus partners.
For more information, please visit the program’s website.
To ensure that all students have support into career pathways, CUNY will expand its internship and career development programs to providing students majoring in liberal arts and the humanities the opportunity to develop professional skills and define a career path for themselves as they complete their academic journey. Leveraging existing internship matching and placement infrastructure, this program, through Central Office coordination and campus implementation, would connect students to various industries that will provide exposure and access necessary to propel them into careers post-graduation.
Internships are a type of applied learning which have been shown to have a high impact on student success and completion; however, many barriers exist which can prevent student participation in these learning experiences. Funds will be allocated to support students in overcoming these barriers which include, but are not limited to, child care, transportation, tuition support for summer internships, stipends for students with unpaid internships, development of prior learning assessment which can help students apply current employment to achieving college level credit. Funding will also be used for administration of the program.
CUNY will train students to become qualified professionals who will work with individuals in need of prevention, treatment, and recovery services due to behavioral and mental health conditions. The CUNY Mental Health Training program will incentivize minority and multilingual students enrolled at 18 CUNY campuses - including five community colleges, eight senior colleges, three comprehensive colleges and the CUNY Graduate Center and CUNY School of Professional Studies - to enter in or continue paths of study that will prepare them for the mental health field.
This is the latest action New York State has taken to address a lack of diversity in the field, which in turn leads to disparities in the delivery of mental health care for marginalized populations.
SUNY will offer enhanced opportunities for campuses to bolster current mental health training and development programs for students, faculty, and staff. Additional programming will provide educational opportunities for students who are interested in pursuing careers in the mental health sector.