Gwinnett County Public Schools: CTE Month 2022: Your Foundation For Success!

Press release from Gwinnett County Public Schools:

02.28.22

Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) provides real-world, hands-on, career-ready experiences that prepare all students for postsecondary education and future employment with a range of options to meet students where they are and to build on their interests.

Beginning in 6th grade with middle school Connections classes and Junior Leadership Corps and continuing through graduation, Gwinnett students can engage in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs designed to combine relevance, rigor, and real-world, hands-on learning with academic knowledge. CTE prepares young people for a wide range of high-wage, high-skill, in-demand careers with real-life opportunities to explore the world of work and build a foundation for their future success. As a result, CTE students are more engaged in their studies, perform better in the classroom, and graduate at higher rates.

GCPS offers more than 60 CTE pathways… ranging from Agriculture to Construction, Media Production to Healthcare, Business and Marketing to Engineering and Manufacturing. Students who complete a pathway—three consecutive courses concentrated in one career area—are eligible to earn industry-recognized credentials that offer an instant résumé boost to a GCPS graduate.

The district’s seven college and career readiness academy high schools—Berkmar, Central Gwinnett, Discovery, Lanier, Meadowcreek, Shiloh, and South Gwinnett—are designed to support inclusive and supportive small learning communities within the larger school where students develop advanced future-ready skills and explore career interests. Two CTE specialty school programs at Maxwell HS of Technology and the Grayson Technical Education Program offer students an opportunity to explore, create, and discover future careers.

Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) is a four-year progressive program that is open to all students in grades 9-12. Fourteen Gwinnett high schools offer JROTC in one of four service branches—Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.

Our Computer Science for All (CS4All) initiative ensures that all GCPS students experience computer science and future-ready skills starting in kindergarten and continuing through a student's high school experience. Computer Science 4 All (CS4ALL) is Gwinnett County Public Schools’ multi-year initiative to ensure that every student at every school has equal access to an inclusive, welcoming, and high-quality computer science (CS) experience throughout their educational career. Making sure that students graduate with strong CS skills starts at the earliest grades and builds across the grade levels. As part of the CS4ALL initiative, all GCPS schools will work toward providing computer science education opportunities to all students by the 2024-25 school year.

GCPS’ Gear Up for Graduation program serves 8th grade students who have fallen behind their friends at school. Whether Gear Up students were held back when they were younger, did not meet promotion requirements to 9th grade, or came to Gwinnett without the English skills to be successful in middle school, the students in the program need a different approach to learning to ensure that they stay in school and graduate on time. Gear Up provides a rigorous curriculum and additional support so that students can earn credit for both 8th and 9th grade classes in one year and rejoin their peers on grade level as high school sophomores, back on track for on-time graduation.

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of CTE instruction is the opportunity to experience hands-on and solution-driven learning, gain exposure to industry professionals, and participate in job shadowing and internship opportunities. This real-world focus gives students an opportunity to explore their options and develop a foundation for their success after high school. Students can get a jump-start on a career with work-based learning and the chance to test for industry- recognized credentials. Through dual enrollment, students may opt to take classes with a local college or technical school and receive dual credit for college and high school.

Whatever their work future holds, our CTE students have a strong foundation to build upon with postsecondary study beyond high school. Students have many paths to future success… whether they enter a certification program, participate in an apprenticeship, attend a trade school, graduate from a two-year technical college, or earn a four-year university degree or beyond. CTE is their foundation for success!

Watch for a series of profiles this spring, featuring GCPS students who are pursuing different routes to future success through their participation in CTE!

This press release was produced by Gwinnett County Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.