The Mercer County Technical School District intends to launch a full-time, four-year Academy of Culinary Arts in September 2016.
The Academy of Culinary Arts, located at the Arthur R. Sypek Center on Bull Run Road in Hopewell Township, will provide Mercer County high school students with an academically challenging and rigorous curriculum. Students will work toward the completion of Mercer County Community College credits and industry credentials while in high school.
By senior year, all students will take college classes and spend their entire school day on the West Windsor campus of Mercer County Community College. Business partnerships will help students become ready for the workplace and gain learning experiences.
The district’s decision to focus on culinary arts is a direct result of occupational outlook data. Retail, hospitality and tourism has been identified as one of the fastest-growing sectors in New Jersey. According to a spring report by the state Department of Labor & Workforce Development, food service jobs are projected to continue creating the greatest number of new jobs (26,300) in the sector from 2012-2022. The 11.3 percent increase is more than the state’s projected rate of 7.5 percent.
“While there are many entry-level jobs with entry-level hourly wages, many of those jobs can lead workers to a variety of long-term career paths and better paying jobs,“ says Dr. Kimberly J. Schneider, Superintendent of the Mercer County Technical School District.
“Year after year, we have a waiting list for our half-day culinary arts program. A full-time academy will allow us to take this high-demand program to the next level for our students,“ says Dr. Schneider.
Recruitment is underway for the academy. The district is holding information sessions for the public. Dates are posted on the school district’s website at www.mcts.edu.
The Mercer County Technical School District offers shared-time and full-time career and technical education programs to all secondary public school districts and non-public schools in Mercer County. Specialized training for adults is also available.
The Academy of Culinary Arts will be the third full-time, four-year program offered by the Mercer County Technical School District. There are currently 130 students enrolled in the existing full-time academies. There are more than 770 students enrolled in half-day career and technical education programs in the district.
For information about the district, email LPerlow@mcts.edu, call 609-438-0109, ext. 4445 or visit www.mcts.edu.
