Corcoran Students Become Career Ready in Pre-Apprenticeship Summer Bridge Program

Corcoran students in the school’s new Manufacturing Technology Pre-Apprenticeship program got a head start on their school curriculum in a week-long summer bridge program this July.
 
As the District’s newest Career and Technical Education (CTE) program, the Pre-Apprenticeship program was developed with MACNY’s Apprenticeship Division and is intended to help students gain employment in apprenticeships while they’re in high school, which will continue upon their graduation. The apprenticeship program also offers a pathway to earning an A.A.S degree in Mechanical Technology from Onondaga Community College!
 
To help prepare incoming freshmen for the upcoming school year, they were invited to participate in a summer bridge program to help introduce them to the people, places, and concepts they’ll soon be studying in more detail. To kick off the week, students worked in small groups to use the Engineering Design Process to create a structure. They tested its strength and learned to redesign it to make it stronger. They also had the opportunity to visit and tour Ephesus Lighting!
 
“It was cool to learn about the different lights they build and how they do the builds and control them,” Janeisa Joyner said. “I like building and seeing what I can create on my own and seeing how things work. I’m glad that the summer bridge let us do these kinds of things and start working together… now, this year, I’ll be able to help others if they need it. I look forward to starting the program and creating different kinds of stuff!”
 
“My favorite part of the bridge program was building a tower out of paper and trying to make it stronger,” Javontae Joyner added. “I’m most excited about the program because I like building things and using different kinds of tools. The summer bridge gave me a head start because now I know my way around the school and what things will kind of be like.”
 
Incoming seniors studying Manufacturing Technology were also invited to the summer bridge program to meet the freshmen – they will be acting as mentors for the newer students in the program this fall! The seniors also met with OCC College Transition Specialist Marc Perillo to complete forms to participate in OCC’s Early College program this fall, where they will be enrolled in MET 151, a Machine Tools course, on the OCC Campus.
 
Tequila Gregory is the Manufacturing Technology Instructor at Corcoran and led the summer bridge program. She said it was a great way to give new students in her program a closer look at what their coursework will entail.
 
“The Manufacturing Technology program is only three years old, so it’s awesome to have my incoming freshmen come in and get to know me and their new program, and learn more about it,” Mrs. Gregory said. “It’s hard to explain all that we do during their CTE interviews – it’s easier for them to do activities and actually utilize the engineering design process, which is very heavy in our program. The summer bridge program really helps them learn communication skills and working together. It helps them in getting to know their building and how to navigate it. Now, they have a blueprint for things so when they start in September, they’ll have a little head start in what to expect. It’s given us an opportunity to start building relationships with each other before the school year begins!”
 
To learn more about the Manufacturing Technology Pre-Apprenticeship program – and all the CTE programs offered in the SCSD, visit https://www.syracusecityschools.com/cte.