Senate Resolution No. 516

BY: Senator ORTT

MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim
May 2017 as Armed Services Vocational Aptitude
Battery Career Exploration Month in the State of New
York

WHEREAS, New York State's commitment to education is unparalleled;
and

WHEREAS, Those individuals and institutions devoted to improving the
quality of life for others, enabling them to build lives of dignity and
self-worth, are deserving of the highest praise and recognition; and

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to memorialize
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim May 2017 as Armed Services
Vocational Aptitude Battery Career Exploration Month, in conjunction
with Armed Forces Day/Week (20 May 2017) in the State of New York; and

WHEREAS, The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)
Career Exploration Program is a comprehensive career aptitude evaluation
which is federally funded and available to schools free-of-cost; and

WHEREAS, The audience are students primarily between 16 and 24 years
of age who are attending a secondary or post-secondary education; and

WHEREAS, The decision to enter college, technical or vocational
school, military service or the civilian world of work after high school
is an important one; the ASVAB-Career Exploration Program (CEP) is
designed to help students learn more about themselves and the world of
work, identify and explore potentially satisfying occupations, and
develop an effective strategy to realize their goals/degree major; and

WHEREAS, The main components of the ASVAB-CEP are: Multiple-Aptitude
Assessment, Find-Your-Interest (FYI) Inventory, and Career Exploration
Tool; and

WHEREAS, Multiple-Aptitude Assessment: the ASVAB test covers eight
areas including science, word knowledge, mathematics, and mechanical
comprehension; it assesses a student's ability to learn new skills and
is a predictor of success in training and education programs; and

WHEREAS, Find-Your-Interest (FYI) Inventory: each student is given a
90-item interest inventory based on John Holland's widely accepted
theory of career choice; upon completion of the FYI Inventory, students
will receive three interest codes to use with the Department of Labor's
OCCU-Find career exploration tool; and

WHEREAS, Career Exploration Tool: OCCU-Find contains information on
more than 1,000 occupations sorted alphabetically, by interest codes,
and by career cluster which provides students a variety of ways to
identify occupations that will be satisfying; many of the occupations in
the OCCU-Find feature career videos highlighting a-day-in-the-life
glimpse at that occupation; and

WHEREAS, The secondary or post-secondary school students would
receive a post-test interpretation session/career workshop where they
could learn about how to use the ASVAB results in identifying and
exploring potentially satisfying occupational fields/careers,
educational options, scholarships, employment statistics, and a variety
of resources to make a well-informed career decision; and

WHEREAS, ASVAB participants are not under any obligation to the
military as a result of taking the ASVAB; and

WHEREAS, The utilization of the ASVAB-CEP as a career planning tool
could certainly attribute to a reduction of student loan and
potentially, fewer federal loan defaults; and

WHEREAS, Currently, there are 137 post-secondary
schools/universities in the State of New York, from Adelphi University
to Yeshiva University; and

WHEREAS, As of June 30, 2015, there were 50,683 college students in
default of their Federal Perkins Loan over or equal to 240 days; the
Total Principal Outstanding on loans-in-default over or equal to 240
days in the amount of $178,271,175.00; and

WHEREAS, Federal student loans are borrowed funds that must be
repaid with interest; failure to repay a loan can result in default; the
New York State default rate is 9.37% which is below the U.S. National
Aggregate 11.39%; and

WHEREAS, As a result, utilization of the ASVAB-CEP could reduce or
prevent additional cost associated with majoring in the wrong collegiate
degree program; by proclaiming May 2017 as Armed Forces Vocational
Aptitude Battery Career Exploration Month in the State of New York, it
gives counselors more options to test 10th, 11th and 12th grade
students; and

WHEREAS, From time to time, society calls upon these individuals and
institutions to be recognized for the significance of their
contributions and efforts to assist others in developing the skills
necessary to be successful citizens; and

WHEREAS, New York State has recognized for many years the importance
of a quality educational system and its relationship to the economic and
social well-being of all its citizens; an important part of every school
curriculum should be a thorough, comprehensive college and career
readiness preparatory program which aids students in the process of
career selection; and

WHEREAS, Excellent school systems attempt to maximize all available
resources to prepare students for vital contributing roles as citizens
of this State and Nation; New York schools continually strive for
improvement in their programs and services; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim May 2017 as Armed
Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Career Exploration Month in the
State of New York; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of
New York.