The automotive technology program at John F. Kennedy High School has been in jeopardy of being eliminated to make more space for the school. The program has been a refuge for technically-minded students for decades and helped many students discover careers in automotive technology. While the principal aims to make the school more student-friendly, shutting down the popular program has faced strong opposition from 800 petition signers, including current student Joel Martinez who wants to pursue automotive technology as a career. Statistics also show that 100,000 new automotive technicians will be needed next year, paying up to $100,000 annually, yet the field suffers from lack of promotion by teachers and counselors.
The Greater Orlando Economic Development Group presentation to Brazilian Investors. Outlines advantages and benefits to entrepreneurial investment within the Greater Orlando area.
The Greater Orlando Economic Development Group presentation to Brazilian Investors. Outlines advantages and benefits to entrepreneurial investment within the Greater Orlando area.
Presented by Tracy Biernacki-Dusza on behalf of the Focus on Information Technology program (FIT), an umbrella program developed by the Information and Communications Technology Council. (ICTC)
This presentation was giving at the 3rd annual Futures in ICT Collaboration event hosted at SAIT polytechnic.
For more information about the FIT program, ICTC, and other youth initiatives please visit: www.focusit.ca
Follow us at @FOCUSITca
As of 2010, statistics reported that there were approximately 723,400 mechanics and technicians in the country. Estimates indicate another 125,000 professionals will be needed by 2020 in order to meet the demands of vehicle owners.
Vietnam’s Tech Boom A look inside Southeast Asia’s Silicon Valley.Hán Văn Thắng
More than four decades after choppers lifted the last U.S. troops back
across the world, Vietnam’s Da Nang Hi-Tech Park hums with
activity. The park, one of several established as part of Vietnam’s
2020 IT Master Plan, houses offices and factories for a growing number of
international IT and software companies, hardware manufacturers, and
infrastructure plants powering the central Vietnamese city at the heart of a
tech boom.
Today’s Vietnam—with a population of over 93.5 million and a median age
of 30.3 years old—is defined by a growing population of young coders,
engineers, entrepreneurs, and students driving economic growth and
technological innovation. For them, the country’s war-torn past is a history
lesson, not a memory.
P.B college is the best Automobile Engineering Colleges In Chennai. If you are interested in the automobile course, you can join and improve your knowledge.
http://pbce.in/departments/b-e-automobile/
Presented by Tracy Biernacki-Dusza on behalf of the Focus on Information Technology program (FIT), an umbrella program developed by the Information and Communications Technology Council. (ICTC)
This presentation was giving at the 3rd annual Futures in ICT Collaboration event hosted at SAIT polytechnic.
For more information about the FIT program, ICTC, and other youth initiatives please visit: www.focusit.ca
Follow us at @FOCUSITca
As of 2010, statistics reported that there were approximately 723,400 mechanics and technicians in the country. Estimates indicate another 125,000 professionals will be needed by 2020 in order to meet the demands of vehicle owners.
Vietnam’s Tech Boom A look inside Southeast Asia’s Silicon Valley.Hán Văn Thắng
More than four decades after choppers lifted the last U.S. troops back
across the world, Vietnam’s Da Nang Hi-Tech Park hums with
activity. The park, one of several established as part of Vietnam’s
2020 IT Master Plan, houses offices and factories for a growing number of
international IT and software companies, hardware manufacturers, and
infrastructure plants powering the central Vietnamese city at the heart of a
tech boom.
Today’s Vietnam—with a population of over 93.5 million and a median age
of 30.3 years old—is defined by a growing population of young coders,
engineers, entrepreneurs, and students driving economic growth and
technological innovation. For them, the country’s war-torn past is a history
lesson, not a memory.
P.B college is the best Automobile Engineering Colleges In Chennai. If you are interested in the automobile course, you can join and improve your knowledge.
http://pbce.in/departments/b-e-automobile/
Coding bootcamps love promoting stories. Rags-to-riches and redemption stories reinforce the mythology the technology industry tells about itself: anyone with the smarts and grit can succeed rising through the ranks to work at Facebook or Google. And success stories do happen. What is seldom mentioned is that these stories are exceptions.
Presented at the British Columbia Collaboration Event for Educators - an annual conference that discusses the future of IT and education in Canada.
Presented by Tracy Biernacki-Dusza, National Project manager of the Focus on Information Technology program (FIT); a youth inititiative developed by the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC)
Finders Keepers - what do you do when you find a nice object, like the latest smartphone, do you keep it, return it, do you consider who this belongs to and what can happen if you keep it? Check out http://www.lebowitzcomics.com
1. Riverdale - Automotive Technology Program at JFK in Jeopardy Page 1 of 2
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Home > News > Automotive Technology Program at JFK in Jeopardy
Automotive Technology Program at
JFK in Jeopardy
By Robert Lebowitz
04/28/04
Amidst the traditional classes at John F. Kennedy High School is a row of rooms where car
chassis hover over desks and students are bent over engines instead of test papers. For a
moment, a visitor might think he had just entered an auto body shop. And, in a way, he might be
right.
For decades, the automotive technology program at JFK has been a refuge for the more practical
and technical-minded of the school's 5,000-plus students. It is here that many who have had a
passing interest in how a car works can begin to focus upon a future career, increase consumer
awareness, or be recruited for a technical school. For some, it is the sole reason that they come to
school. It is possible, however, that the program will be shut down for good this June.
Lately, there has been much talk about eliminating the automotive mechanics program in an effort
to secure more space for the school. Already crowded, Kennedy has taken under its roof two new
small schools, the Marble Hill School for International Studies and the Bronx Theater, as part of
the new initiative to create small schools within pre-existing learning environments. Additionally,
Kennedy also houses two programs, Law and Finance and Gateway, which might become small
schools in the future.
Many in the JFK community have reacted strongly to the possibility of replacing cars with
computers, even if it means that more traditional academic classes would become available. A
recent petition sent among students, parents, and alumni garnered 800 signatures.
"It's a real disappointment," said Joel Martinez, a 12th grader at JFK who plans to pursue a career
in automotive technology upon graduation. "When I came to Kennedy, I really had no idea what I
wanted to do. I'd always liked cars and had done a little work on engines, but when I hit this
course, it was then I knew I wanted to do this in my future."
Juan Vicente, a 2000 alumnus, recently visited current students in the program, eliciting "oohs"
and "aahs" when he pulled up in a 2003 Mercedes-Benz. Vicente works for the company and had
gotten the car at reduced cost. Although the car spoke itself of his successful career path, Vicente
pointed out the opportunities that training in automotive technology affords.
"From Kennedy, I went to Lincoln Tech in Montvale, New Jersey," he explained. "I now own a
Mercedes-Benz and I'm only 22 years old. There are thousands and thousands of jobs available in
the automotive industry right now."
Recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor bear out Vicente's remarks. According to an
article in the March, 2004 issue of Car and Travel, 100,000 new mechanics will be needed next
year. Many in the field blame the shortage on teachers and counselors who discourage students
from entering a field seen as low-paying or "greasy." On the contrary, according to an industry
expert quoted in the Car and Travel article, master technicians can expect to earn from $70,000 to
$100,000 a year and deal predominantly with computerized equipment rather than with grime and
oil.
Although JFK principal Anthony Rotunno refused to comment on this issue, he has spoken
recently of his efforts to make JFK into "more than a cold institution" and to be "parent-friendly, kid-
friendly, and neighbor friendly." While the move to create classroom space in the automotive
technology rooms reflects Rotunno's desire to give students more individualized attention, it also
makes many invoke the old adage, "if it isn't broken, don't fix it."
"I would be really sad to see the program go," said one member of the JFK community. "I've never
seen people try so hard to take away something that the students really want."
Reprinted with the permission of the Riverdale Review.
http://www.shalomriverdale.org/content_display.html?print=1&ArticleID=115010&pa... 5/16/2006
2. Riverdale - Automotive Technology Program at JFK in Jeopardy Page 2 of 2
http://www.shalomriverdale.org/content_display.html?print=1&ArticleID=115010&pa... 5/16/2006