ARHS Designated Innovation Career Pathway School, Creating New, Hands-On Experiences In High Demand Industries

Source: mass.gov

Governor Maura T. Healey announced last week (4/13) that Amherst Regional High School is one of 27 high schools across the state that her administration is awarding new Innovation Career Pathway designations. The new awards expand the program by more than 30 percent to reach a total of 78 high schools in the state. 

Innovation Career Pathways are designed to give students hands-on coursework and work-based learning experiences in a specific high-demand industry, such as Advanced Manufacturing, Information Technology, Environmental and Life Sciences, Health Care and Social Assistance, and Business and Finance, which are the five Innovation Career Pathways that Massachusetts currently offers. The governor’s announcement launches 35 new Innovation Career Pathways across those 27 high schools.  

With these new programs, nearly one in five public high schools in Massachusetts will be offering Innovation Career Pathways. Governor Healey made the announcement today at Chelmsford High School, which currently offers students pathways in the fields of Business & Finance, Information Technology, Advanced Manufacturing, and Life Sciences, and is a model of what a successful Innovation Career Pathway program can look like. 

More Hands-On Opportunities At Amherst Regional
At Amherst Regional High School the program will create more hands-on experiences in manufacturing, expand courses in engineering and technology, and modernize engineering labs and classrooms. School Superintendent Michael Morris wrote in a recent newsletter, “This IP designation is a great honor and will allow the school to continue to build programs that help students develop in-demand workforce skills and career knowledge along with providing a more direct pathway to employment and advanced education opportunities.”

Innovation career pathways give high school students the opportunity to take courses focused on a particular field, while allowing them to enroll in post-secondary courses to earn industry-recognized credentials at no cost to them, as well as allowing them to serve in internships in that field. A key component of Innovation Career Pathways is setting up partnerships with industry partners and local MassHire boards to foster these work-based learning experiences for students—this year’s 27 pathway schools will be partnering with 13 of the 16 local MassHire boards across the Commonwealth. This enables students to gain work experience and insight about whether the field is something they would like to pursue in college or a career after high school. 

Innovation Career Pathways differs from its sister program – Early College – in that students focus on a specific industry sector, with greater emphasis on career exploration, technical courses, work-based learning experiences and industry-recognized credentials, rather than attaining college credits. Last month, the Healey-Driscoll administration announced nine new Early College Programs, which is another tenet of the administrations’ goal of transforming high school to offer more career and college readiness opportunities, with a specific focus on expanding equity. 

“These early career programs provide students with opportunities for future success in and out of the classroom, allow them to forge partnerships with local employers, and prepare students with the knowledge and tools to succeed in rapidly growing STEM fields across the Commonwealth,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “As co-chair of the STEM Advisory Council, it is inspiring to see what students are capable of in fields that are vital to our state’s growth and success. Today’s expansion of Innovation Career Pathways is the first announcement of many as we look to increase career and college readiness opportunities for every student in Massachusetts.” 

The Healey-Driscoll Administration predicts that in Fall 2023, over 820 additional students will be enrolled in these 35 new Innovation Career Pathways programs, with total enrollment across the state projected to exceed 6,500 students. 19 of the high schools earning designations this year will be offering Innovation Career Pathways for the first time, or 70% of awardees. 

With these new designations, the total number of Innovation Career Pathways programs will now increase to 183 pathways at 78 schools across the Commonwealth. Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll’s FY24 budget proposal includes nearly $47 million for Early College and Innovation Career Pathways, a $14.4 million increase from FY23, to continue expanding college and career readiness options for students across the Commonwealth.

The governor’s announcement of new designations is in connection with the 2023 Massachusetts STEM Summit on May 4 that will promote the cutting-edge STEM work occurring across the Commonwealth’s education and employer partnerships, with a common goal of “Reimagining High School.” The Summit will feature student voices from current Innovation Career Pathways students who are taking advantage of the programs’ STEM opportunities. Sign up to attend the STEM Summit Livestream here.