Dive Brief:

• The American Federation of Teachers on Thursday announced a new initiative that will put $500,000 toward funding career and technical education for students in New York City, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Miami, and Peoria, IL.
• Promising Pathways,as the five year initiative is called, pairs the AFT up with school districts, community colleges, city governments and business groups, who are all looking to provide students with education in skilled trades, applied sciences and technology.
• The partnership was announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio, United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew, and AFT President Randi Weingarten, who said she was hopeful the program would be successful enough for the federal government to consider expanding nationally. 

​Dive Insight:

According to de Blasio, the initiative ultimately addresses income inequality by preparing students for more than minimum wage jobs, giving them an entry point to the middle class. With the current demand for science and technical skills, an initiative focused in that direction is one way to go about achieving that.