Establishes 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; provides students with school-based learning and work-based learning.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A1887
SPONSOR: Bichotte Hermelyn
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to establishing a career
explorations class
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
The proposed legislation will require the Department of Education to.
create a curriculum that provides career development and basic profes-
sional skills to high school students. There will be two main outcomes
at the conclusion of these classes. (1) the students will have acquired
basic knowledge to search, apply and secure an internship and (2) the
students will be able to set higher academic and career goals.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Empowers the Commissioner to establish a career explorations
class, two parts, to integrate academic and vocational education. The
Department shall develop a system of performance reporting to define
measures of student, school and employer participation in career aware-
ness, exposure, exploration and work-based learning activities.
The department has one year from the effective date of this section to
assemble a curriculum. The class will be phased in by city such that the
largest cities in the state with the largest school districts shall
first implement the course and four years after the effective date,
every school district in the state shall implement the career explora-
tions course.
Funds shall come from the division of lottery
Section 2: This act shall take place one year after it becomes law, with
provisions.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Each year there are an increasing number of high school students that do
not graduate from high school, enter the working world unprepared to be
successful or are admitted to higher education institutions lacking
basic skills needed to excel in an intellectual environment. Studies
have shown that school based career guidance have Positive influences on
students in the long run. This bill will provide students with a fair
chance to be thoroughly prepared for necessary examinations needed to
graduate. The career explorations classes will include but not be
limited to:
1. Career workshops: to provide information on how to search for jobs or
internships in your industry of interest.
2. Guest speakers: professionals from various industries to give a brief
synopsis of what an average work day is like as well as what type of
employees their company looks for.
3. Resume and cover letter writing: to teach students how to write a
competitive resume and cover letter.
4. Thank you letters: to teach students how to write and send proper
thank, you notes after an interview.
5. Mock interviews: a series of Phone and face-to-face interviews simu-
lating the actual event.
6. Workplace etiquette: to teach the basic principles of a professional
environment in reference to mutual respect, appropriate attire, language
and behavior.
Career Explorations part two: will focus on SAT prep, college applica-
tion and acceptance process. For outside internships every student
should participate in either one summer internship or at least 5 job
shadow days in order to pass part two of the class.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021-22: A07009; referred to education
2019-20: A9946; referred to education
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect one year after it shall become law, with a
four-year phase in period; provided, however, that any rules or regu-
lations necessary to implement the provisions of this act shall be
promulgated on or before such date.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1887
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 23, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BICHOTTE HERMELYN -- read once and referred to
the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing a career
explorations class
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 817 to
2 read as follows:
3 § 817. Career explorations class. 1. The commissioner shall establish
4 a career explorations class to integrate academic and vocational educa-
5 tion, link secondary and post-secondary education and provide learning
6 activities and mentoring at the work site. Such class shall provide
7 students with school-based learning and work-based learning which shall
8 include, but not be limited to:
9 (a) career workshops to provide information on how to search for jobs
10 and/or internships in such student's industry of interest;
11 (b) guest speakers who shall be professionals from various industries
12 to give a brief synopsis of an average work day as well as what type of
13 employees their company employs;
14 (c) outside internships where every student participates in either one
15 summer internship or spends at least five days shadowing a professional;
16 (d) resume and cover letter writing to teach students to write a
17 competitive and comprehensive resume and cover letter;
18 (e) thank you letters to teach students to write and send proper thank
19 you notes after an interview;
20 (f) mock interviews to conduct a series of phone and face-to-face
21 interviews simulating the actual event;
22 (g) workplace etiquette to teach the basic principles of a profes-
23 sional environment in reference to mutual respect, appropriate attire,
24 language and behavior; and
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03378-01-3
A. 1887 2
1 (h) SAT preparation and post-secondary school application and accept-
2 ance process.
3 2. Such class shall be called career explorations and shall be offered
4 in the spring semester or term of the freshman year of secondary school.
5 SAT preparation and post-secondary application and acceptance process
6 shall be offered in the fall semester or term of the junior year of
7 secondary school during the regular school day in the place of two elec-
8 tive classes. Such classes shall be held in a computer lab or the
9 computer section of the school library.
10 3. The department shall develop a system of performance reporting to
11 define measures of student, school and employer participation in career
12 awareness, career exposure, career exploration and work-based learning
13 activities. The department shall further establish, in collaboration
14 with the participating school districts, a system of performance indica-
15 tors and measures for assessing state and local progress and build a
16 foundation of core measures around which state and local information
17 systems can be built.
18 4. The department shall have one year from the effective date of this
19 section to assemble a curriculum entitled the "career explorations
20 class". Such new class shall be phased in by cities in the following
21 manner:
22 (a) first year, cities with a population of one million or more;
23 (b) second year, cities with a population between fifty thousand and
24 ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine;
25 (c) third year, cities with a population between twenty thousand and
26 forty-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine;
27 (d) fourth year, all other cities not enumerated in this subdivision;
28 such that the largest cities in the state with the largest school
29 districts shall first implement the career explorations course and four
30 years after the effective date of this section, every school district in
31 New York state shall implement the career explorations course.
32 5. Such school districts which implement the career explorations class
33 outlined in subdivision one of this section shall receive additional
34 funding and training during such year; the funding of which shall be
35 derived from funds of the division of the lottery.
36 § 2. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a
37 law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any
38 rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its
39 effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such
40 effective date.