| Who can attend | Ages 17–21 only: students in a NYC public high school or Pathways to Graduation program, or graduates still under the age limit. Not open to adults over 21; Co-op Tech’s adult education page says “coming soon”. |
|---|---|
| Type | Free public career and technical education (CTE) program, half-day, in person |
| Run by | NYC Department of Education (NYC Public Schools), District 79 |
| Sites | Main campus in Manhattan plus 5 satellite sites in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens (2) and Staten Island |
| Credentials | High-school elective credit, plus industry certifications and exam preparation that vary by program |
| Program length | 1–2 years depending on pathway; half-day sessions, 8:30–11:00 AM or 12:20–2:50 PM |
| Cost | Free |
| Accreditation and federal aid | Not applicable: a public-school program, not a college |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
A free trade program for NYC students aged 17 to 21
The School for Cooperative Technical Education, known as Co-op Tech, is a half-day career and technical education program run by District 79 (Alternative Schools & Programs) of the NYC Department of Education. It serves ages 17 to 21: students in a NYC public high school or Pathways to Graduation (high school equivalency) program, who keep their academics at their home school, and graduates still within the DOE age limit. Training is free and earns high-school elective credit.
Co-op Tech is not an adult trade school. Adults over 21 are not eligible, and its adult education page says only “coming soon”. The DOE’s separate Office of Adult and Continuing Education runs free classes for adults 21 and over.
Co-op Tech’s About page (checked October 2026) says it was founded over 30 years ago and serves about 1,500 students from over 130 high schools and Pathways programs, plus post-graduates.
Programs at Co-op Tech’s six sites
Co-op Tech lists 9 program areas with about 18 named courses. Every program meets in half-day morning or afternoon sessions, in person. Sites below come from Co-op Tech’s program pages, which list sites by program area rather than by course, so a course may not run at every site listed for its area.
| Program area | Courses | Certifications and exam preparation listed | Where taught |
|---|---|---|---|
| Automotive Services (2-year sequence) | Electrical/Electronic Systems; Engine Performance; Steering & Suspension; Brakes | ASE student certifications A6, A8, A4, A5; Snap-on credentials | Manhattan, Bronx |
| Construction & Building Skills | Intro to Construction Trades; Carpentry; Architectural Drafting & 3D Printing; Welding Technology; Plumbing | OSHA 10/30 Construction; NYS DOT 3G and 4G welder; FDNY F60 and G60 Certificates of Fitness; AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Revit | Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn (Canarsie) |
| Electrical | Residential, Commercial, Industrial and Solar tracks | OSHA 10 Construction; electrical helper and apprenticeship entry | Manhattan, Bronx |
| Health Services | Intro to Medical Careers (billing and coding, EHR specialist, medical administrative assistant); Certified Nursing Assistant; Vision Care Technology | NYS CNA written and skills exams (NYS-approved course) | Manhattan, Bronx |
| Information Technology | Audio/Video Production; Web Design; Computer Networking; Advertising & Design | Adobe Premiere Pro, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator; Logic Pro X; IT Specialist HTML/CSS; HTML5 App Development; NOCTI Web Design; CCNA pathway | Manhattan, Queens (Long Island City H.S.) |
| Culinary Arts | Culinary Arts, including baking and pastry | NYC Health Department Food Handler certificate | Manhattan, Bronx |
| Unisex Styling | Barbering; Natural Hairstyling | NYS barber licence exam; NYS natural hair styling licence | Manhattan, Bronx |
| OSHA | 10-hour and 30-hour outreach courses within CTE sequences | OSHA 10, OSHA 30, NYC DOB Site Safety Training | Manhattan |
| Work-Based Learning | Job shadowing, volunteering, paid internships, clinical experience, pre-apprenticeship | Job readiness, OSHA, CPR | Through the DOE’s Work-Based Learning program |
Co-op Tech’s program pages list no courses at the Queens Transitional Center (Jamaica) or Concord High School (Staten Island) sites, so contact the school about those. Certification lists above are as Co-op Tech’s program pages give them (checked October 2026).
What the main programs cover
Automotive Services
Automotive is set out as a two-year sequence. The four courses follow ASE’s student certification areas: electrical and electronic systems (A6), engine performance (A8), steering and suspension (A4) and brakes (A5). Alongside the ASE work, students train for Snap-on credentials in multimeter use, Solus Edge, alignment fundamentals and ProCut rotor matching. Co-op Tech does not list EPA Section 609 or New York State inspection certification. It is taught in Manhattan and the Bronx, in morning or afternoon sessions.
Construction & Building Skills
Students start with an introduction to construction trades and move into carpentry, plumbing, welding technology, or architectural drafting with 3D printing. Co-op Tech’s construction page lists OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 Construction cards, New York State DOT 3G and 4G welder certifications, FDNY F60 and G60 Certificates of Fitness, and AutoCAD, SolidWorks and Revit for drafting. Co-op Tech says instructors may recommend selected welding and carpentry students for internships and union recruitment programs. It is the only area listed at the Brooklyn (Canarsie) site.
Electrical
The Electrical program splits into four tracks: residential, commercial, industrial and solar. The solar track covers photovoltaic installation and bending EMT conduit. Students earn OSHA 10 Construction and train for electrical helper jobs or entry to an apprenticeship. Co-op Tech says students with excellent attendance and grades are nominated for the Construction Skills program and for the MTA test application. The program is taught in Manhattan and the Bronx, and Co-op Tech publishes no clock hours for any track.
Health Services
Health Services has three courses. Introduction to Medical Careers covers medical billing and coding, electronic health records and medical administrative assisting; Co-op Tech calls it preparation for those roles and does not name a certification such as the NHA’s CBCS, CEHRS or CMAA. The Certified Nursing Assistant course is New York State-approved, and completers are eligible for the state CNA written and skills exams; clinical hours are not published. Vision Care Technology trains ophthalmic technicians and optical dispensers, with no optician licence or ABO credential named. All three are taught in Manhattan and the Bronx.
Information Technology
The IT area has four courses: audio and video production (Adobe Premiere Pro, Logic Pro X), web design (HTML, CSS and JavaScript, with IT Specialist HTML/CSS, HTML5 Application Development and NOCTI Web Design), computer networking on Cisco’s CCNA pathway, and advertising and design in Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. CompTIA certifications are not listed. IT is taught at the Manhattan main campus and is the only area listed at the Long Island City High School site in Queens.
Unisex Styling
Unisex Styling covers barbering and natural hairstyling, which are separate New York State licences. Students prepare for the state barber licence exam or the natural hair styling licence and complete the “required hours”, which Co-op Tech does not state on its program page. Ask how many hours students finish at Co-op Tech and whether that meets the state requirement for the licence they want. Natural hairstyling is not a cosmetology licence. The program is taught in Manhattan and the Bronx.
Applying and the half-day schedule
Applications are made online, with ID, school records and any IEP or related-service documents uploaded. Co-op Tech’s site says the Fall 2026 application portal is now closed; current District 79 students can apply on a rolling basis through [email protected]. One Queens high school’s December 2023 notice said applicants had to be 17 (or turning 17 by the program start), in 11th or 12th grade, with at least 20 credits; ask your school counselor whether that applies to you.
Classes meet in two half-day sessions, morning (8:30–11:00 AM) or afternoon (12:20–2:50 PM), and shared-instruction students take their academics at their home school or program. IEP services are handled through the student’s home school. An older, undated DOE flyer mentioned evening classes; Co-op Tech’s current site does not.
Accreditation and results
Co-op Tech is a NYC public school program, not a college, so it has no institutional accreditor and no federal student aid; its CNA course is New York State-approved. We found no completion, job placement or certification pass rates published for it by Co-op Tech or the DOE.
Internships and career help
Through the DOE’s Work-Based Learning program, students can do job shadowing, volunteering, clinical experience, pre-apprenticeships and paid internships, which pay minimum wage and are not guaranteed. Instructors may recommend selected welding and carpentry students for union recruitment programs, and strong electrical students are nominated for the Construction Skills program and the MTA test application. Co-op Tech offers no housing.
Before you enroll
- The age limit is strict: Co-op Tech serves ages 17 to 21. If you are over 21, it is not an option; its adult education program is listed only as “coming soon”.
- Not every course runs at every site. Information technology is listed only at the Manhattan main campus and Long Island City High School, and no courses are listed for the Queens Transitional Center or Concord High School sites.
- Exam preparation is not a licence. Barbering and natural hairstyling students must still pass the state licence exams, and Co-op Tech does not say how many training hours its course provides. The billing, coding and EHR course names no certification such as the NHA’s CBCS.
- The Fall 2026 application portal is closed, so check the next cycle’s deadline early; one high school gave January 5 as the 2023–24 deadline.
- The main campus building at 321 East 96th Street is part of a 2017-approved redevelopment that calls for it to be rebuilt. We could not confirm the current status, so ask the school whether classes there will move.
Sources
Co-op Tech home page · Programs · Locations and contact · Admissions · Adult education · NYC DOE District 79 · Queens Metropolitan HS notice (Dec 2023) · Patch on the 96th Street redevelopment (Aug 2017). All checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Automotive Services (2-year sequence)
- Electrical/Electronic Systems
- Engine Performance
- Steering & Suspension
- Brakes
Construction & Building Skills
- Introduction to Construction Trades
- Carpentry
- Architectural Drafting & 3D Printing
- Welding Technology
- Plumbing
Electrical
- Residential
- Commercial
- Industrial
- Solar
Health Services
- Introduction to Medical Careers (Medical Billing & Coding; EHR Specialist; Medical Administrative Assistant)
- Certified Nursing Assistant (NYS-approved)
- Vision Care Technology
Information Technology
- Audio/Video Production
- Web Design
- Computer Networking (Cisco)
- Advertising & Design
Culinary Arts
- Culinary Arts
Unisex Styling
- Barbering
- Natural Hairstyling
Safety and work experience
- OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 outreach courses; NYC DOB Site Safety Training (main campus)
- Work-Based Learning (job shadowing, internships, pre-apprenticeship)
Campus Locations
New York, NY 321 East 96th Street, New York, NY 10128
Bronx, NY 965 Longwood Avenue, Bronx, NY 10459
Long Island City, NY 14-30 Broadway, Long Island City, NY 11106
Jamaica, NY 142-10 Linden Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11436
Staten Island, NY 109 Rhine Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10304
Brooklyn, NY 1600 Rockaway Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11236