Require Career Exploration Class

Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 817 to read as follows:

§ 817. Career explorations class. 1. The commissioner shall establish a career explorations class to integrate academic and vocational education, link secondary and post-secondary education and provide learning activities and mentoring at the work site. Such class shall provide students with school-based learning and work-based learning which shall include, but not be limited to:

(a) career workshops to provide information on how to search for jobs and/or internships in such student's industry of interest;

(b) guest speakers who shall be professionals from various industries to give a brief synopsis of an average work day as well as what type of employees their company employs;

(c) outside internships where every student participates in either one summer internship or spends at least five days shadowing a professional;

(d) resume and cover letter writing to teach students to write a competitive and comprehensive resume and cover letter;

(e) thank you letters to teach students to write and send proper thank you notes after an interview;

(f) mock interviews to conduct a series of phone and face-to-face interviews simulating the actual event;

(g) workplace etiquette to teach the basic principles of a professional environment in reference to mutual respect, appropriate attire, language and behavior; and

(h) SAT preparation and post-secondary school application and acceptance process.

2. Such class shall be called career explorations and shall be offered in the spring semester or term of the freshman year of secondary school.

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD10268-01-9

A. 9946 2

SAT preparation and post-secondary application and acceptance process shall be offered in the fall semester or term of the junior year of secondary school during the regular school day in the place of two elective classes. Such classes shall be held in a computer lab or the computer section of the school library.

3. The department shall develop a system of performance reporting to define measures of student, school and employer participation in career awareness, career exposure, career exploration and work-based learning activities. The department shall further establish, in collaboration with the participating school districts, a system of performance indicators and measures for assessing state and local progress and build a foundation of core measures around which state and local information systems can be built.

4. The department shall have one year from the effective date of this section to assemble a curriculum entitled the "career explorations class". Such new class shall be phased in by cities in the following manner:

(a) first year, cities with a population of one million or more;

(b) second year, cities with a population between fifty thousand and ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine;

(c) third year, cities with a population between twenty thousand and forty-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine;

(d) fourth year, all other cities not enumerated in this subdivision; such that the largest cities in the state with the largest school districts shall first implement the career explorations course and four years after the effective date of this section, every school district in New York state shall implement the career explorations course.

5. Such school districts which implement the career explorations class outlined in subdivision one of this section shall receive additional funding and training during such year; the funding of which shall be derived from funds of the division of the lottery.

§ 2. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.