The Brooklyn STEAM Center, a nationally recognized model for career and technical education (CTE), is expanding its innovative programming at the Brooklyn Navy Yard to meet rising demand for talent in some of today’s fastest growing industries. With a significant expansion, adding 27,000 square feet and six new hands-on career pathways, the Brooklyn STEAM Center will double enrollment to 600 students, preparing more young New Yorkers for jobs in HVAC (climate control systems), game design, industrial product realization, manufacturing, live production technology and audio engineering.
City officials joined leadership from the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC) and the Brooklyn STEAM Center to unveil the expansion and celebrate a proven educational model with the potential for replication citywide.
“Since its founding in 2017, the Brooklyn STEAM Center has been reimagining high school education by offering career aligned, hands-on learning that helps students earn industry-recognized credentials and develop job skills for the future,” said Hank Gutman, board chair of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation. “This expansion allows the center to directly respond to labor market demands, creating on-ramps into clean energy, technology and skilled trades, sectors critical to the economic future of New York City and our nation.”
This expansion reflects NYC Public Schools’ commitment to enroll 100,000 students in market-aligned pathways by 2030. Students in the Brooklyn STEAM Center program split time between their home high schools and the Navy Yard campus to experience hands-on training co-designed with industry partners in fields related to the existing pathways such as design, engineering, healthcare and technology.
“The Brooklyn STEAM Center represents the future of public education, one that blends imagination with industry, purpose with possibility,” said Dr. Kayon Pryce, founding principal of the Brooklyn STEAM Center. “When students are trusted with real tools, real challenges, and real expectations, they don’t just learn, they lead. This expansion allows us to extend that vision to even more young people across the city, preparing them to shape the industries and communities of tomorrow.”
The Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation in partnership with New York City Public Schools and STEAM Engine (the nonprofit intermediary created to support citywide infrastructure for STEAM Center, seeded with initial funding secured by BNYDC to support the expansion of Brooklyn STEAM Center), has served as serving as a key partner and connector, leveraging the Navy Yard’s ecosystem of more than 550 companies to shape curriculum, host site visits and offer paid internships. This unique collaboration immerses students in a modern industrial environment and allows them to engage directly with businesses solving real-world challenges.
“The Brooklyn STEAM Center’s expansion represents a growing belief in what’s possible when schools are located alongside industry partners, putting the future of work within arm’s reach for students,” said Diallo Shabazz, CEO of STEAM Engine. “STEAM Engine was created to ensure public schools like the Brooklyn STEAM Center can exist in every borough, providing students from multiple high schools across New York City with access to high-quality education, technical training, and professional skill development that prepares them for lifelong success.”
