William Smock

Special to the OBSERVER

New faces and a fifth cohort of students entering the P-TECH STEM College & Career Academy will do so along with a new principal for the 2019-20 school year.

William Smock has assumed the role as P-TECH principal. The former Dunkirk City Schools administrator knows the program well as he was the grant manager for the P-TECH project for the Dunkirk City School District and worked with Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES on implementing the grant, student recruitment and partner relations.

“E2CCB is proud to welcome William Smock as the new principal of the WNY P-TECH Academy. Mr. Smock brings strong background knowledge around the P-TECH model and important connections to the manufacturing community of Chautauqua County from his work as the liaison for the Dunkirk City School District on the P-TECH grant,” said Janeil Rey, Ph.D., Director of Workforce Development. “William’s dedication, enthusiasm and energy will position P-TECH well as our first cohort of students head off to JCC to finish their associate degrees.”

P-TECH, an up-to-six-year program for high school students, provides two associate degree pathway options in welding technology or mechanical technology with specializations in CADD or machine tool through Jamestown Community College. The first cohort of students recently celebrated the school’s first Senior Advancement Ceremony in June.

“(Five years ago) P-TECH was a new program. We were awarded funding in the second round, so there weren’t a lot of examples of what a P-TECH should look like,” Smock said. “It was really exciting seeing the kids in cohort 1 and it was real exciting to see their excitement and them understanding the experience and opportunity that was in front of them. Now with our fifth cohort of students coming in it’s exciting to get back into the game and see where it is and to help it to continue to grow.”

The new P-TECH principal began his career in Computer Information Systems with the Amherst Central School District. Soon thereafter, Smock reenrolled in the Career and Technical Education program at Buffalo State to become a teacher.

After teaching in Amherst High School for five years, Smock was hired in the Dunkirk City School District as a technology teacher where he taught for 10 years before completing his administrative degree through SUNY Fredonia. Most recently, he served as the Early Childhood Administrator at Dunkirk. The return to P-TECH, however, felt like a logical and natural step.

“I feel like this was the best fit for me but also for the program given my background in being a part of the process the entire way … everything aligned,” Smock said.

During the planning phases for P-TECH, the Workforce Development Committee was formed, which includes the Chautauqua County IDA, the Manufacturers Association of the Southern Tier and several small and large businesses. One of his first orders of business will be to reconnect with many of the partnerships he helped form five years ago.

“We’re going to do a reboot with some of our manufacturers and I’ll do a little traveling when the time strikes to get back out there,” he said. “I’m excited to get things moving. I’m ready to hit the ground running, start talking to parents, kids and the teachers and develop a plan collaboratively so we can build this machine up and keep manufacturing stocked for the future.”

Planning for the upcoming school year is still underway but Smock plans to collaborate with teachers and students to ensure everyone is included in the process and vision for P-TECH’s future.

“In the continuous improvement of programming and what we can offer students, there are certain areas we can absolutely work on,” he said. “We have to be able to create a sustainable pipeline of workforce for area businesses if we expect area businesses to grow and flourish. There are a lot of untapped resources in Chautauqua County which is why I’m excited to be here. I see the potential and I want to continue to foster that growth and support our manufacturers and our businesses because that is the livelihood of our area.”

William, a native of the Greater Orchard Park area, resides in Jamestown with his wife, two children and two stepchildren.

P-TECH is an all-day program housed in a state of-the-art facility located at 55 East Benton St., Dunkirk. Students enrolled in P-TECH take ownership of the school and of their studies and often serve as ambassadors for the program. Scholar athletes can participate in after-school clubs and sports for their home district and they can join the P-TECH National Honor Society or Dream It Do It Club. Participating school districts provide transportation to the program daily.

Interested eighth-grade students can speak to their counselor to receive an application packet or contact P-TECH Academy directly by calling 716-672-3251, ext. 2801. There are still slots available for freshmen in the fall of 2019. For more information visit www.e2ccb.org.