The Mercer County Technical School District has announced the launch of a full-time, four-year Academy of Culinary Arts starting in September of 2016. The Academy of Culinary Arts, located at the Arthur R. Sypek Center in Pennington, 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. In addition, student learning will be enhanced through key business partnerships allowing for multiple workplace readiness and experiential learning opportunities.
The district’s decision to focus on culinary arts is a direct result of occupational outlook data. Culinary arts falls under the career cluster of Retail, Hospitality and Tourism which has been identified as one of the fastest growing sectors in New Jersey. According to a Spring 2015 report by the New Jersey 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. This 11.3% increase is more than the state’s projected rate of 7.5%.
Recruitment is currently underway for the Academy of Culinary Arts. The district is holding information sessions for the public to learn more. Dates are posted on the school district’s website mcts.edu.
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 more information about the Mercer County Technical School District, email LPerlow@mcts.edu, call (609) 438-0109 ext. 4445 or visit mcts.edu.
