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THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234
To: 
Work-Based Learning Coordinators and CTE Directors
From: 
Office of Career and Technical Education (CTE)
Subject: 
Updates to Registered Work-Based Learning (WBL) Programs
Date: 
January 10, 2022

 

Overview

The Work Experience and Career Exploration Program (WECEP) has operated in New York State for several years as an opportunity to provide students considered at risk and aged 14-15 the opportunity to obtain paid work experience.   This program requires registration every two years with the United States Department of Labor (USDOL). Due to the underutilization of the WECEP program across the State (only 96 students in the last two years) and increasing difficulty registering the program with USDOL due to student privacy issues, the New York State Education Department (NYSED), after consultation with work-based learning stakeholders, will be consolidating the WECEP program into the existing General Education Work Experience Program (GEWEP) program making GEWEP open to students aged 14 and up.  This change will go into effect as of September 1, 2022.

 

Rationale

  • All registered WBL programs would be authorized by the NYSED.
  • All registered WBL programs would be on the same registration cycle.
  • Registered WBL offerings would be streamlined from four programs to three.
  • GEWEP permits both paid and unpaid placements providing flexibility for 14-15-year-old students to complete paid as well as unpaid placements.
  • GEWEP is a work experience program approved by the Commissioner of Education; therefore, 14- and 15-year-old minors employed as part of a GEWEP program may continue to work three hours on a school day and 23 hours a week.

Please see the attached updated Comparison of Registered Work-Based Learning Programs (Appendix A) and the Questions and Answers on this change (Appendix B) below for further information.  This change will go into effect as of September 1, 2022.  If you have any further questions about this change in work-based learning programs, please contact the Office of Career and Technical Education at emsccte@nysed.gov.

 

Appendix A: Updated Comparison of Registered Work-Based Learning Programs

Changes are in orange

 

CEIP

Career Internship

Program

GEWEP

General Education Work Experience Program

WECEP

Work Experience and Career Exploration Program*

CO-OP

Cooperative CTE Work Experience Program

WBL coordinator extension

#8982

#8981

or

#8982

No longer offered beginning with the 2022-2023 school year

#8982

Student age

Age 14+*

Age 14+*

Age 16+*

Paid or unpaid

Unpaid

Paid and

unpaid

Paid and

unpaid

Diploma credit permissible & worksite hours

.5/54 hrs.

1/108 hrs.

.5/150 hrs.

1/300 hrs.

1.5/450 hrs.

2/600 hrs.

2.5/750 hrs.**

3/900 hrs.**

.5/150 hrs.

1/300 hrs.

1.5/450 hrs.

2/600 hrs.

 

Related instruction

27 hrs./.5 credit

54 hrs./1.0 credit

At least one period per week

Five periods

per week

Experience must relate to classroom instruction

Yes

No

Yes

Training develops career skills

No -

focus is career exploration

Yes

Yes

* Students must be in at least grade 9 to earn credit for a registered work-based learning program

** A maximum of one unit of credit can be earned for GEWEP in grades 9 and 10.  A maximum of two  units of credit for GEWEP may be earned in grades 11 and up.  A student may earn a maximum of three units of credit towards graduation for participation in GEWEP.

 

Appendix B: Questions and Answers

  1. How many hours may a 14–15-year-old student work during the school year under the new consolidated program? The United States and New York State Departments of Labor sets policies for the hours, times, and tasks that minors of different age groups are able to perform. Labor Standards will allow a 14–15-year-old minor employed as part of a supervised work study or work experience program that is approved by the Commissioner of Education (such as GEWEP) to work three hours on a school day and 23 hours a week instead of three hours a day and 18 hours a week under the WECEP program. This is noted on both page 8 and 13 of the P882 booklet.
     
  2. I have a registered WECEP program that expires August 31, 2022.  Do I need to re-register it? No. Students intending to use the WECEP program should be enrolled in GEWEP for the next school year.  The Office of CTE will reach out to schools that have a registered WECEP program but not a GEWEP program to assist them with registering a GEWEP program.
     
  3. I have a registered WECEP program that expires August 31, 2023.  What should I do? Those students should be enrolled in the GEWEP program for the 2022-2023 school year as WECEP will cease to exist in New York after August 31, 2022. The Office of CTE will reach out to schools that have a registered WECEP program but not a GEWEP program to assist them with registering a GEWEP program.
     
  4. I have 14–15-year-old students who would benefit from paid work experience?  What should we do if WECEP is no longer being offered? Those students can be enrolled in a GEWEP program as it is now being extended to allow students age 14 and up to participate. The GEWEP program can be run in the same manner as the WECEP program was, so schools and students should not notice a difference in the experience.
     
  5. Do students need to be paid? No. WECEP had previously required that all students be paid. GEWEP has always allowed for students to either be paid or unpaid. In order to maximize flexibility for schools, the GEWEP program will allow for students age 14 and up to be enrolled while participating in paid or unpaid work experiences. Please note that Perkins funds cannot be used to pay wages to students participating in these programs. 
     
  6. Can a work-experience be built into an alternative education program for 14–15-year-olds?  Yes. The GEWEP work experience program can be integrated into an alternative education program so long as it is supervised by a certified work-based learning coordinator and child labor laws for 14–15-year-olds are followed.
     
  7. How much related instruction is required? As it was with WECEP, GEWEP programs require at least one period per week of related instruction related to employability skills that will be developed through the work experience. Samples of topics that can be addressed can be found beginning on page 33 of the NYSED Work-Based Learning Manual.
     
  8. How many credits can students earn as part of GEWEP? Students can earn a maximum of three (3) credits for 900 hours of work experience throughout their high school career distributed as follows: 
  •  A maximum of one unit of credit can be earned for GEWEP in grades 9 and 10.
  •  A maximum of two units of credit for GEWEP may be earned in grades 11 and up. 
     
  1. Who can supervise a GEWEP program? As it was with WECEP, a GEWEP program must be supervised by an instructional staff member or school counselor who holds extension as either a Coordinator of Work-Based Learning Programs for Career Awareness or Coordinator of Work-Based Learning Programs for Career Development.
     
  2. Can 14–15-year-old students who are considered “at risk” participate in a GEWEP program in this structure as they did with WECEP? Yes. All students aged 14 and up, including those students considered "at risk", may participate in the GEWEP program. 

 

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