Inside Newburgh’s new $75M career center, where students will train for jobs in 17 fields
The massive new CTE center opens with about 500 students and hands-on training in everything from automotive repair and welding to cosmetology, culinary arts, fashion design and media production.
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Inside Newburgh Free Academy’s brand-new Career and Technical Education Center, traditional classrooms have been replaced in many places by something that looks much more like the workplace.
There are automotive bays equipped with vehicle and motorcycle lifts, professional culinary and baking kitchens, welding stations and dedicated spaces for students learning electrical work and HVAC.
There’s a cosmetology program where students can learn hair styling, waxing, brow shaping and facials, as well as a pet grooming lab equipped for students to learn how to care for and groom animals.
Students interested in creative careers will also have dedicated fashion design spaces and a television and media production area, complete with a green-screen room.
The $75 million, roughly 132,000-square-foot facility officially opened Monday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours ahead of the start of the school year. District leaders were joined for the ceremony by state and local officials, school board members and members
About 500 11th- and 12th-grade students are expected to begin using the center this year, according to Superintendent Dr. Jackielyn Manning-Campbell. The building can eventually accommodate about 1,000 students and could also be used for adult education programs at night.
The district says 17 career and technical education programs will be offered, including auto body, automotive technology, cosmetology, criminal justice, barbering, construction, culinary arts, electrical, fashion design, HVAC, health sciences, pet grooming, photography, plumbing, veterinary science, video production and welding.
But Manning-Campbell says the goal goes beyond teaching students a trade.
Students will also receive instruction in entrepreneurship and financial literacy so those who eventually want to open their own salons, restaurants or other businesses have some of the skills needed to do so.
“It gives them hope,” Manning-Campbell said. “Here’s something that can really change the trajectory. The community believes in you.”
District officials say some programs are designed to prepare students to enter the workforce immediately after graduation. The district also plans to continue supporting students who need additional assistance obtaining professional licenses after they turn 18.
The potential impact is particularly significant in Newburgh. The Newburgh Enlarged City School District is classified by the state as a high-need district, and the City of Newburgh has long struggled with poverty and barriers to economic mobility.
District leaders say they hope giving students marketable skills before graduation will not only help them find careers, but also encourage graduates to remain in the Hudson Valley, start businesses and reinvest in their own communities.
“Here’s a chance to keep people in the community,” Manning-Campbell said. “They’ll graduate, they’ll come back and they’ll pour back into the community.”
The center has been years in the making. Voters approved the capital project in 2019, but the district says it subsequently stalled amid the pandemic and leadership changes. Manning-Campbell, who arrived in 2022, made restarting the project a priority. Construction began in 2024.
Now, with students set to begin classes Thursday, Manning-Campbell calls it a “beacon of light” for Newburgh.
“Your educational and career path is in this building,” she said. “Anything that you can imagine is possible. We’re here to support you.”
