NORWICH – DCMO BOCES is seeking a state grant that it says will allow the institution to prepare at-risk students for high-skills jobs in the growing fields of technology, manufacturing, healthcare and finance.

BOCES is undergoing the early stages of an application process for a Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools (P-TECH) grant. The $2.8 million grant, offered through the New York State Department of Eduction, would allow BOCES to set up a regional partnership with businesses and a higher education institution to develop a six-year program that combines high school with college and career training to target at-risk disadvantaged students

If BOCES is awarded, the program will be implemented in the 2015-2016 school year.

“This is a designed program that targets students who may need to learn in a different environment that is hands-on based,” explained Lee Shaver, Director of Career and Technical Education at DCMO BOCES.

In addition to getting hands-on experience with partnering businesses, the programs would build the basic skills needed to keep a job, she added. “One of the things we often hear from industries is that kids don’t have soft skills, like showing up on time or showing a working attitude ... This (grant) would allow businesses to work directly with kids to make sure they are getting those skills.”

The initiative would also give students a jump-start on their college career, giving them a chance to earn a high school diploma and an associates degree upon completion. Shaver said students would start the program in ninth grade and begin college courses as early as tenth grade, when they’re able to get support they need. Classes would be taylored to fit the associates program in which a student is enrolled. For example, an English and Language Arts class for a student pursuing a degree in finance would include a greater deal of reading and writing financial reports and other related material, Shaver explained.