Skip to main content
Full Menu Close Menu
UFT Testimony

Testimony regarding expanding career and technical education and Int. No. 1099 and No. 1193

UFT Testimony

Testimony of UFT Vice President for Career and Technical Education Sterling Roberson before the City Council Committee on Education

Good afternoon. My name is Sterling Roberson, and I am the United Federation of Teachers vice president for career and technical education. On behalf of the union’s 200,000 members who serve our children matriculating through CTE programs, we would like to thank the Committee on Education and Chairman Danny Dromm for holding this hearing. Our members and students benefit from your diligence and critical oversight over the career and academic resources they need to best position our students for successful lives.

We support the Intro. 1099 request for annual reporting on the city’s CTE programs. We likewise support the introduction of No. 1193 request for annual reporting on computer science programs. We applaud Council Members Mark Treyger, Mark Levine, and the other signing members of the Education Committee for taking the lead and championing our CTE students and educators.

Our union’s advocacy on behalf of expanding career and technical education programs is well known. We certainly welcome the growing spotlight on CTE, because we know it works. The New York City Chancellor’s appointment of an Executive Director of Career and Technical Education and the New York State Board of Regents’ expansion of pathways for CTE assessment and graduation requirements reinforce the importance and priority of these programs for our students and our members. These are steps in the right direction.

I can speak firsthand about the impact of career and technical education, from my experience as both a veteran career and technical education teacher and someone who spends a considerable part of my work life advocating for quality CTE programs and policies that strengthen our efforts toward graduating young men and women with certified credentials. When done well, our members receiving state-of-the-art training in a full range of technical fields can deliver industry accredited instruction, enabling our students to advance in careers and higher learning. When under-resourced, we weaken our ability to retain educators with leading edge skills, potentially undercutting strategic relationships with industry partners, while risking sending students into the workforce lacking the skills to effectively compete. Our emphasis in today’s testimony will focus on the elements that must be in place for quality career and technical education.

Delivering high-quality CTE

We can all agree that with 16 career clusters encompassing almost 80 distinct career pathways, today’s CTE far surpasses what was traditionally viewed in the narrow context of vocational education. By delivering high quality career and technical education, we can have a positive effect on our students’ long-term earning potential and the strength of our economy into the future. Overall, high quality CTE requires investment and continuing commitment.

In order for high-quality CTE to become a reality for students however, it requires the following elements:

  1. authentic career pathways that expand to degree programs, with
  2. recognized and certified industry credentials;
  3. partners in leading industries and higher education, and
  4. technically trained teachers with leading edge skills.

High quality CTE additionally demands that the academics aren’t relegated to second tier.

I know that’s a lot to digest. Let’s begin with what this means for our members.

Keeping pace with emerging and rapidly improving technology challenges professionals in all fields. In our profession, we must engage on all fronts: teacher preparation, continuing teacher leader education, recruitment, and retention efforts. For current educators charged with delivering instruction leading to certified CTE credentials, resources and supports become critical. We negotiated professional learning in our contract and, in the case of our CTE teachers, that translates into externships within their industry group. Working within professional teams at companies like Apple, Cisco, and Intel and in industries like automotive, aviation, and green environmental businesses equips our members to deliver what students should both know and know how to do, in order to excel in these jobs.

We also need to recruit and cultivate our teaching force. For example, we have a CTE teacher recruitment, training, and retention program called “Success Via Apprenticeship,” where CTE high school graduates participate in a five year apprenticeship program working with mentors. SVA students work in the industry for three years and teach for two years. These teaching apprentices pledge a minimum five year commitment to the DOE and, in return, the department pays their annual salary. Attracting industry professionals with a mastery over newer technologies provides another professional stream that will add to our ranks.

For our students, high-quality CTE similarly requires a distinct set of resources. Students require a defined course sequence, assessments aligned to program standards, and curriculum — all leading to industry recognized credentials. Additionally, our students need more meaningful work-based opportunities. Expanding the four walls of the classroom — so more students get authentic work experience that is aligned with their curriculum — significantly contributes to the quality of the CTE program. Providing our students with the rigor and relevance within both their academic and technical studies lays the groundwork for successful outcomes — but, that takes time.

We also need an earlier start. If we’re serious about the real impact we can make with CTE expansion, our programs should begin in middle school. As educators, we know it takes more time to get our students what they need. Producing a workforce of tomorrow that will drive our local and national economy deserves an earlier investment at the middle school level. The majority of our conversations and policies target high school CTE programs. In the Association for Career and Technical Education’s fact sheet highlighting current research, relevant high quality CTE programs are increasing graduation rates and elevating the earning power for our students long-term. Strengthening our efforts in middle school places students on this success trajectory at an earlier age.1

Partnerships with industries upgrade the quality of our CTE programs and benefit students, our members, and those partners. Our students gain higher learning and credentials to carry them through life. Our members are able to garner real-time updates on cutting edge professional learning. Our partners win by helping design the curriculum, resulting in greater hiring opportunities of a highly skilled workforce that will meet specific industry needs.

At the end of the day, we want the young men and women matriculating through our CTE programs to acquire industry recognized certification, plus ensure that these credentials will carry them wherever they go — either geographically or across industry sectors. In the CTE vernacular, our students become valuable — sought after workers with exportable credentials.

Challenges and roadblocks to quality CTE

We are optimistic that more and more policy makers and administrators want to help make these CTE programs successful. However, we need to reduce the bureaucracy and streamline the process at every level. The state process can severely delay approval of CTE programs, since it can sometimes take as long as three to five years for a program to gain approval.

There’s also an opportunity for improvement within the city’s administration. We recommend the DOE streamline data systems that work for schools, teachers, parents, and students. For example, schools use various systems, including binders, e-portfolios, Google forms, and Excel™ spreadsheets, to record “employability profile data” for students. We need a system that allows data to be properly recorded and follows students as they progress through their studies.

CTE has to be more than an elective course of study and should be aligned with the school’s Comprehensive Education Plan. Schools should incorporate their CTE goals and make sure those goals reinforce academic requirements and match funding.

CTE is on the move, but we must do more

Fundamentally, the 21st century CTE is not the trade school of yesteryear. It requires a different level of engagement from school districts, educators, and public and private partners. Our students require higher proficiency in a wide variety of skills and competencies essential for success in college and career. For example, we no longer simply train auto mechanics with manual skills. Employers now seek qualified individuals that are able to understand advanced technologies such as navigation, computer circuitry, high-end diagnostic tools, and the like.

With the expansion of CTE programs, it makes sense to develop “how-to guides” for schools interested in starting a CTE course of study. Reducing the learning curve benefits our students, members, and the administration. We recommend the following CTE guidance documents as the Council moves Int. 1099 forward:

  • CEP Alignment: An outline of the steps for matching the CTE goals with the school’s comprehensive plan;
  • Work-based Learning: – A guide supporting the New York State Education Department WBL;
  • Articulation Agreements – Structuring agreements between post-secondary institutions and industry to manage articulated high school courses—courses that the faculty in the discipline have determined to be comparable to a specific community college course2;
  • Student Organizations: Groups where students compete in demonstrations of their skills, “develop their professional and leadership skills, network with one another and professionals across the state and nation.”

To reiterate our earlier recommendation, we believe expanding CTE at the middle school level will pay significant dividends. 

Our union will continue its efforts working together with the Albert Shanker Institute and CTE thought leaders to influence lawmakers nationally. Our state legislative lobbying operation will keep the pressure on the state Legislature for increased funding for college and career ready programs. And we’ll partner with the state Board of Regents to continue to strengthen and increase the flexibility for CTE graduation accreditation.

Again Chairman Dromm, we thank you and the Education Committee and we want you to know that the UFT is counting on your continued advocacy for the programs all of our CTE students need and deserve.

End notes

1 CTE Today!, Association for Career and Technical Education,
2California Statewide Career Pathways

Related Topics: CTE