Sara Boerenko (L) and Melissa Peterson (R), from the Montgomery County Public Health Department, stand with PTECH students.
Eleventh grade students at HFM PTECH participated in Workplace Challenges, a project that uses the knowledge and skills they have gained throughout their time at PTECH to help local businesses with real-world challenges.
PTECH, or Pathways in Technology Early College High School, is a 6-year program that incorporates project based learning and professional skills training as students work toward their 2-year degree at no cost to their families. An education at PTECH focuses heavily on collaboration, real-world experiences, ingenuity and community involvement.
Held in partnership with the Fulton Montgomery Regional Chamber of Commerce, Workplace Challenges provided an opportunity for business partners to present students with real workplace challenges and asked them to find viable, realistic solutions. Community partners included Amsterdam Clock Tower, Montgomery County Public Health Department, Chris Dancy: “Most Connected Man on Earth”, and the Fulton County Regional SPCA.
After two-weeks of research and brainstorming ideas, students presented their solutions to business partners, teachers and staff.
In Chris Dancy’s mission to use technology to optimize productivity and quality of life, he tasked students with finding solutions to common needs by creating a community-minded app that utilizes artificial intelligence. While student solutions included apps of all different purposes and audiences, one that stood out was “Fairy Grant Mother”, an app that collects and organizes grants currently available to meet the needs of a business, while simultaneously streamlining the grant application process.
Audience member and City of Amsterdam’s Deputy Mayor, Chris Carpenter, was particularly impressed and noted the students’ professionalism and thorough dissection of the challenges and corresponding solutions.
“I’m especially interested in the Fairy Grant Mother app, the concept of it is extremely beneficial to our local business and non-profit organizations. For people to have a tool that helps them access resources needed to further their efforts is really significant,” said Carpenter. “And I was so impressed with the students’ knowledge and presentation skills. To see young people have this kind of understanding of what our community needs, it really gives me confidence in our future.”
Montgomery County Public Health Department presented students with two challenges: better accessibility to their office for people with mobility challenges and help with spreading the word to teens and adults about their free online store. While students presented numerous options for better physical accessibility to their building, it was one group’s creativity in marketing their free online store that really caught the attention of audience members.
By creating a commercial highlighting the health and wellness challenges many youth face, they successfully provided a realistic and unique approach reaching young people in the region and educating them on the benefits of utilizing the health department’s online store.
“The biggest demographic that we’re always trying to engage with is our youth and adolescence,” said Sara Boerenko, Montgomery County Public Health director. “To be able to work with young people and hear what they need from us and see things from their perspective has been really phenomenal.”
Workplace Challenges provides an opportunity for PTECH students to brainstorm out-of-the-box solutions while working within real world boundaries, challenges and restrictions. Any business interested in participating in future challenges or becoming a community partner of HFM BOCES is asked to contact Nicole Walrath-VanAlsytne, Director of Workforce Development for the Fulton Montgomery Regional Chamber of Commerce, at nicolew@fultonmontgomeryny.org.
