IBM launched a high school to churn out workers for corporate tech jobs — take a look inside

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/inside-ptech-ibm-high-school-2017-5
June 04, 2017 at 05:00PM

In 2011, in a low-income neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, one of the world's most iconic companies launched a high school.

P-TECH, the Pathways for Technology Early College High School, is IBM's answer to an education system that has been slow to adapt to the changing demand for workers with more flexible tech skills, like coding and data analytics.

Students at P-TECH take four years of high school with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) before pursuing a two-year associate's degree at the New York City College of Technology. Some also go on to four-year universities or apply for jobs at IBM, where they will be first in line for entry-level jobs that put their tech know-how to the test.  

Many land these jobs after paid internships among people 20 or 30 years their senior. So far, 10 graduates have accepted offers. 

In June, P-TECH will graduate students from that first class in 2011. Business Insider ventured to the Brooklyn school to see what the future of education could look like.

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P-TECH lives inside the Paul Robeson School for Business and Technology, an imposing brick building set behind a tree-lined street. More than 570 students attended P-TECH during the 2016-2017 school year.

Since it's a New York City public school, students only need to be interested in science or math and live in the area to attend.

There are no testing requirements like those found in specialized magnate schools.

Principal Rashid Davis has been around since the beginning. His biggest hope is that kids gain a variety of skills to serve them in what IBM calls New Collar jobs — roles that demand flexibility and technical know-how, like data analytics and designing software.

"We're trying to be as traditional as we can," Davis says, "but also dealing with exposing students to the motivation of industry by giving them immediate access to someone who may not be in their zip code, working at a Fortune 500 company."

See the rest of the story at Business Insider