The Environmental Technology (ET) program establishes an A.A.S. degree in ET at Bronx Community College (BCC), the first of its kind in the City University of New York (CUNY) system, and a series of continuing education certificate courses in occupational health and safety. The program addresses a critical employment and public health need throughout the Bronx and other inner-city neighborhoods for trained environmental technicians. It is designed to provide new career pathways for minority students and other individuals and will establish greater awareness of the link between the environment and public health within inner-city neighborhoods. To accomplish these primary goals, the following objectives will be addressed: (1) development of a minimum of 15 partnerships with industrial, private and public employers; (2) implementation of 6 new specialized courses in ET; (3) development of summer training institutes and on-going workshops for ET high school and college faculty; (4) recruitment and enrollment of a first cohort of 24-30 ET degree students; (5) implementation of 13 to 15 field work-sites for job observations, job shadowing and internships; (6) graduation of 80% of all ET students in A.A.S. program; (7) effective job placement of 80% of ET graduates in ET or related fields; (8) enrollment of 200-300 men/women in continuing education certificate courses in ET; (9) full articulation agreements in place between BCC's ET program and Bronx High School's ET program and senior colleges throughout CUNY that have Environmental Science/Health programs. The program addresses the Bronx governmental, business and industry needs for technical expertise in environmental instrumentation, regulation and compliance, as well as waste minimization/pollution prevention and control. BCC's established ties with business and industry are an integral component in the design of the program, which will produce uniquely qualified A.A.S. graduates who can work in the public and private sectors and help addres s growing inner-city community environmental regulations and concerns. The A.A.S. degree curriculum is tied to secondary school Tech Prep and School-To-Work programs in the Bronx and related bachelor's degree programs in CUNY and other colleges; in that way the program links an environmental technology educational corridor from high school to associate and bachelor's degrees to graduate school. A major component of the program is the use of summer institutes for faculty training and opportunities for other faculty enhancement through internships with industrial partners as well as participation in conferences and workshops.
