NYC Public Schools and Partnership Launch Career Discovery Week

Today, NYC Public Schools (NYC DOE) and the Partnership for New York City are launching the city’s second Career Discovery Week, a public-private initiative that brings public high schoolers into workplace settings across the city for a day of career exploration.

From March 6 through 10, more than 2,500 high school sophomores from approximately 70 public schools will get immersive, up-close exposure to potential professions through interactive day-long visits at some of the city’s leading employers. 

Throughout the week, more than 85 corporations and other organizations will host students for a full day of programming that will include executive-led career panels, workplace tours, interactive technology demonstrations, work-based group challenges, and more. 

The organizations hosting students come from a broad cross-section of New York City’s diverse and dynamic industry base, including financial services, technology, media, consumer goods, real estate, healthcare, government, and entertainment. 

Career Discovery Week activities include: 

• Hearst (Monday, March 6) – Students will tour the Good Housekeeping Institute, decorate cupcakes with Food Network Magazine, write their own headlines and learn about careers and life at Hearst from colleagues across the organization. 
• JPMorgan Chase & Co. (Friday, March 10) – Students will participate in technology themed career development programs, join a build-a-thon with employee volunteers and meet with the data and analytics team to learn about their work.  
• NBA/WNBA (Thursday, March 9) – Students will learn about a career in sports, how to build their personal and professional brand, and what the business of basketball looks like. 
• New York City Transit (Thursday, March 9) – Students will ride in the MTA’s new EV bus to tour the Zerega Bus Maintenance and Training Facility.
• Northwell Health (Wednesday, March 8 and Friday, March 10) – Students will visit and tour Northwell medical facilities, attend career exploration panels with senior leadership, and participate in hands-on education with nursing.
• NYSE (Monday, March 6) – Students will tour the historic stock exchange, and present mock company pitches.
• PwC (Tuesday, March 7) – The PwC team will give a creative computing and technology demonstration followed by a career readiness workshop and panel. 
• The Howard Hughes Corporation (Wednesday, March 8) – Students will visit the brand-new Tin Building & Pier, and work on a “build your own city” project. 
• Tishman Speyer (Tuesday, March 7) – Students will get a behind the scenes tour of Rockefeller Center and Radio Park.

A full list of participating companies is available here.

New York City high schools from all five boroughs are participating in this year’s Career Discovery Week. The program is part of the NYC Public Schools Student Pathways initiative, an expansion of career-connected learning that provides work-based learning opportunities and career exposure to high school students. Tenth graders are selected for Career Discovery Week from participating schools, focusing on students whose exposure to career-connected learning is limited. Schools have been matched with companies based on alignment between curricula and company sector: students from the Business of Sports School will visit the NBA/WNBA; students from the Bronx Design & Construction Academy are visiting The Related Companies, L.P.; students from the High School for Youth and Community Development at Erasmus are participating in programming by the Shubert Organization. 

“The top priority for employers is to ensure a strong pipeline of students who are well-prepared for the rapidly changing job market,” said Kathryn Wylde, President and CEO of the Partnership for New York City. “There is no shortage of great career opportunities, but too many New Yorkers are entering the job market without the skills or training required to pursue them. Career Discovery Week is designed to expose tenth graders to the range of possibilities and inspire them to stay in school, study hard, and shoot for the moon.”

“Our mission at New York City Public Schools is to make sure that each student graduates on a pathway to a rewarding career and long-term economic security. Initiatives like Career Discovery Week are pointed efforts towards that goal,” said Chancellor David C. Banks. “It brings great delight to collaborate with Partnership for New York City in this endeavor. I am confident in the growth that will come from our students after they are immersed in this experience, and are faced with the endless possibilities for their careers.”

“As a company built on innovation, Pfizer recognizes the importance of cultivating a robust pipeline of talented, driven and intellectually curious young people,” said Partnership for New York City Co-Chair Albert Bourla, Chairman & CEO, Pfizer. “Our company also was originally founded in New York City, and so we are thrilled to partner with NYC Public Schools and the Partnership for New York City on such an important program for the city’s high school students.”

“Career Discovery Week is an innovative public-private approach that exposes high school students to a wide range of exciting and fulfilling career paths,” said Partnership for New York City Co-Chair Rob Speyer, CEO, Tishman Speyer. “We are proud to show students how they can be a part of building vibrant and inclusive communities in New York City and across the world.”

“Building the workforce of the future through first-hand opportunities like Career Discovery Week creates stronger and more innovative leaders. We are proud to once again collaborate with The New York City Department of Education and Partnership for NYC on this incredible initiative for New York students,” said Carmine DiSibio, Global Chairman & CEO, Ernst & Young LLP.

“We appreciate the Partnership’s Career Discovery Week giving us the chance to share with the city’s next generation our excitement about our company and our mission,” said Steven R. Swartz, President & CEO, Hearst.

“The private and public sectors continue to work together across the city to help prepare the workforce of tomorrow. The combination of early exposure, hands-on experience and career and college readiness puts students on a path to good jobs and the opportunity to support themselves and their families,” said Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO, JPMorgan Chase and Executive Chair, New York Jobs CEO Council. “Supporting New York high school students access to the jobs of the future is not only good for business, it is good for the future of New York.”

“Northwell hires more than 200 people every week to a workforce that exceeds 83,000. And while we’ve been fortunate to attract top-level talent, we always need more, especially in high-demand jobs like nursing and lab professionals.  We’re excited to provide continued exposure to the next generation of healthcare leaders,” said Michael Dowling, President and CEO, Northwell Health.

“The New York Stock Exchange is proud to collaborate with NYC Public Schools and the Partnership for New York City to provide our city’s youth with an important understanding of our role in the capital markets and the many career opportunities available in our industry. We deeply value youth education and learning opportunities like this to prepare and inspire our next generation of leaders,” said Lynn Martin, President, NYSE. 

“We love any opportunity to meet with students and share our excitement about the accounting profession,” says Tim Ryan, US Chair and Senior Partner, PwC. “Career Discovery Week is a terrific way for PwC to encourage students to set a goal of becoming a Certified Public Accountant. I want students to walk away from the experience with a better understanding of how accountants do impactful, purpose-driven work, apply a digital mindset and are at the forefront of analyzing complex data to help business’s build trust and deliver sustained outcomes.”

“At Wells Fargo, we’re proud to provide pathways to meaningful careers,” said Bill Daley, Vice Chairman of Public Affairs, Wells Fargo. “Participating in Career Discovery Week allows us to introduce New York City students to experts who can shed light on jobs that are critical within a financial institution, across industries and in the broader economy. The next generation of leaders benefits from seeing the full scope of possibilities when it comes to how they want their talent to make a difference.”

“The WNBA is honored to be participating in the PFNYC Career Discovery Week this year,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “An important pillar of our community efforts at the WNBA is to provide the next generation with possibilities to learn and grow so they can start to see themselves in a career down the road. We hope that through this career discovery program offered by the PFNYC, students learn about the WNBA’s operations and societal impact, and are encouraged to strive towards success in the future, whether in basketball, sports, or other industries.”

Career Discovery Week is a major collaborative effort by a pan-industry group of the city’s leading corporations and professional firms from the public and private sectors. It demonstrates the commitment of the business community and employee volunteers to help young people in New York City take the first step toward building a career path.