William E. Grady CTE High School. Photo via Facebook/James J. Obrien.
City Council member Mark Treyger has secured $6.6 million in funding for southern Brooklyn schools to upgrade their Career Technical Education (CTE) programs in fiscal year 2017, according to a press release from Treyger’s office.
Both William E. Grady Career Technical Education High School in Brighton Beach and John Dewey High School in Gravesend have been awarded funding to upgrade their culinary arts programs. William E. Grady will receive $1 million and John Dewey High School is set to receive $2.1 million, according to the release.
“This funding will enable us to design and implement a state of the art culinary program that will prepare our students for college and innovative, rigorous, high quality careers in the industries of culinary arts, hospitality and tourism,” said Connie Hamilton, the principal of John Dewey High School.
The City Council’s investment reflects national labor market trends. The culinary and restaurant industry is an ever-expanding sector of the economy, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Across the U.S., 200,000 more line cooks and chefs alone will be needed in the workforce by 2025, reports the BLS.
The National Restaurant Association (NRA) has 2016 pegged to be the sixth consecutive year that the restaurant industry adds 300,000 new jobs. By 2026, 1.7 million new U.S. jobs will be created by the restaurant industry, the NRA estimates.
“As a former educator, I am thrilled to secure funding to improve CTE programs at a pair of southern Brooklyn high schools which serve thousands of local students every year,” said Treyger. “The skills learned and opportunities explored through CTE programs help students become familiar with job sectors where labor demand is outpacing the supply of qualified candidates.”
Other local schools in our area will receive $3.5 million to upgrade their technology and air conditioning systems, and to renovate libraries, bathrooms, auditoriums, playgrounds and playing fields, Treyger’s office said.
