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Central Hudson Workers Mentoring Poughkeepsie HS Students

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -- Central Hudson employees are serving as mentors to Poughkeepsie High School freshmen participating in the newly formed E-TECH academy (Engineering, Technology, Early College High School).

Mentors for the E-TECH academy, 19 Central Hudson employees and six representatives from industry partners, will serve as academic and career role models for participating Poughkeepsie High School students.

Mentors for the E-TECH academy, 19 Central Hudson employees and six representatives from industry partners, will serve as academic and career role models for participating Poughkeepsie High School students.

 Photo Credit: Contributed
Students and mentors met for the first time at Poughkeepsie High School earlier this month and were challenged with an engineering task. Mentors from Central Hudson, Jill Sammon and Diane D’Alessandro, encourage the students during the challenge.

Students and mentors met for the first time at Poughkeepsie High School earlier this month and were challenged with an engineering task. Mentors from Central Hudson, Jill Sammon and Diane D’Alessandro, encourage the students during the challenge.

 Photo Credit: Contributed
Ken Davis

The initiative, a partnership between the utility, the Poughkeepsie City School District and Dutchess Community College, provides the students with an integrated sequence of high school and college coursework, mentorship by engineering professionals, workplace experience and potential internships, culminating in both a high school diploma and a college associate degree in the field of engineering.

The E-TECH academy was established to prepare academically at-risk high school students for skilled jobs in technology. Fifty students are enrolled in the initial class, with up to 50 additional students participating each year during the course of six years, serving up to 300 students when fully enrolled. The initiative is funded through the New York State Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) grant, and is one of 10 awarded public-private partnerships in the state.

The mentors, 19 Central Hudson employees and six representatives from industry partners support the students through work-based learning, providing meaningful feedback on coursework, serving as role models and offering strategies and tools about navigating high school, college, career planning, time management, problem-solving, communication and collaboration.

“This program provides an important opportunity for these students, and for some we’re hopeful that this will lead to employment potential with Central Hudson, ” said Sharon McGinnis, Central Hudson vice president of Human Resources and Safety.

Dutchess Community College President Pamela Edington said: “This is a prime example of what can be accomplished when organizations partner to achieve shared goals. Together, we’re providing transformational opportunities for City of Poughkeepsie students and their families and making a positive and powerful impact on our community.”

“This work for me is deeply passionate because I know the only way we can make a difference in children’s lives is through education,” said Nicole Williams, superintendent of the Poughkeepsie City School District.

For more information on E-TECH, visit the Poughkeepsie City School District website here.

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