The Gilmer College and Career Academy took the next step in assessing community needs.
The purpose of the GCCA is to supply “unique learning environments that provide opportunities for local communities to focus educational resources on what is needed in the community and workforce.”
The GCCA will be housed at the Larry Walker Education Center beginning this fall and will encompass Gilmer High’s career, technical and agricultural education (CTAE), as well as dual enrollment and work-based learning programs.
CTAE program’s include agriculture, business, audio, video and film, automotive, construction, culinary arts, public safety and early-childhood education.
The GCCA has assembled CTAE advisory boards made up of local industry professionals, and they met at the LWEC’s Professional Learning Building April 19. GCCA chief executive officer Carla Foley ran the meeting and started by discussing some of the biggest hurdles facing the local workforce.
Her findings were derived from survey results provided by CTAE advisory board members.
“You guys said that the biggest challenges we’re facing right now are lack of people willing to work, employees lacking skills and the lack of affordable housing,” Foley noted.
“When you drive around, ‘help wanted’ signs are everywhere. I don’t think that is just a Gilmer County thing. Those of us in the school system come to work every day to help those students gain the skills they need in order to be workforce ready. That’s why we’re here, to address that particular challenge.”
Providing students with opportunities to obtain real world experience and life skills was also an area of need, which can be addressed through a robust internship program. The GCCA wants to make the transition into the workforce more seamless for students.
“We’ve talked a lot about internships and having students complete the three courses required for their pathway and then having them do a fourth or fifth class that’s an internship where they’re going back into the classroom, but they’re in more of a teacher role,” Foley explained.
“You learn best by teaching. We want to give kids the opportunity to do an internship and then get them into our work-based learning program so they’re working while they’re going to school and getting that credit.”
Survey results also indicated a need for better ‘soft skills’ such as communication, critical thinking, leadership, work ethic, attitude and teamwork.
“This is different from what is happening at other schools, and this isn’t what happens at every high school,” Foley said of the 80 other college and career academies in Georgia.
“Our college and career academy is geared toward what our community needs and what our students need. Our students will receive the training and skills they need in order to compete not only in our local market, but in a global market as well.”
The next step for the GCCA is the formation of a steering committee, which will be made up of CTAE advisory board members. The steering committee will assist in drafting the GCCA’s grant application, which will be submitted to the state in September.