Res. No. 776

Resolution calling on The City University of New York to collect and publicize data regarding the participation of students in the associate degree apprenticeship programs co-sponsored with business and industry and to disaggregate such data by student gender, race and ethnicity, and income.

By Council Member Louis

Whereas, In serving more than 225,000 students, with the vast majority identifying as students of color and as low-income students, The City University of New York (CUNY) is a prime driver of upward economic and social mobility for many individuals who live and work in New York City (NYC); and

Whereas, CUNY offers a wide array of associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees as well as noncredit certificates in many subject fields in order to help successfully move its students into NYC’s workforce; and

Whereas, Many CUNY students have difficulty making the transition from college to the workplace, in part due to a lack of relevant work experience of the kind that apprenticeships could provide; and 

Whereas, Apprenticeships give students a chance to develop their skills in real-world situations in NYC companies and, in many cases, lead to full-time employment with their apprenticeship employer after graduation; and

Whereas, The transition into the workplace can be particularly difficult for CUNY’s female students interested in entering career fields that have been traditionally dominated by men; and

Whereas, In recent years, CUNY has increasingly reached out to business and industry leaders in order to partner on apprenticeship programs in a variety of fields to serve the needs of its students; and

Whereas, CUNY currently works with the New York Jobs CEO Council, a nonprofit with a network of 30 companies, to create credit-bearing, paid apprenticeships as part of CUNY’s Associate in Applied Sciences (AAS) degree programs in technology, business, and, most recently, health care fields; and

Whereas, In March 2023, New York State (NYS) Governor Kathy Hochul announced a $2 million investment to embed 12 credit-bearing, paid apprenticeship programs in CUNY’s AAS degree programs in high-demand career fields at the 10 CUNY campuses that offer the AAS degree; and

Whereas, In March 2024, Governor Hochul announced an additional $2 million investment in CUNY’s AAS degree apprenticeship programs, enabling CUNY and the New York Jobs CEO Council to add employers, including Bloomberg, Travelers, and Northwell Health, to the network of companies providing CUNY apprenticeships; and

Whereas, Early program data show that 88 percent of CUNY students who participated in apprenticeships through these programs during the spring 2023 semester were, in fact, hired by their employers upon graduation; and

Whereas, CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez noted that the new 2024 investment by NYS would help CUNY “better connect our students to the world of work and advance our strategic goals to lift New York”; and

Whereas, From the companies’ point of view, New York Jobs CEO Council Executive Director Kiersten Barnet explained that the apprenticeships “create equitable access to high-paying roles, whilst supporting [companies’] early career hiring strategy”; and

Whereas, It is important to ensure that these apprenticeships, which hold proven promise for students, are accessible to all eligible associate degree CUNY students, regardless of their gender, race or ethnicity, or income; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on The City University of New York to collect and publicize data regarding the participation of students in the associate degree apprenticeship programs co-sponsored with business and industry and to disaggregate such data by student gender, race and ethnicity, and income.

LS #16281

5/6/2024

RHP