“The Coffee County School System and Wiregrass Georgia Technical College have a common goal: To build the best partnership possible for K-12 education. A celebration like today’s—when we are joining an allied health building with a college and career academy within the Technical College System of Georgia—shows our current and future students that this is the place to go for a great education. The community and business leaders here know this partnership will produce a workforce for the next generation. Each and every one of you has helped make this possible.” –Gretchen Corbin, TCSG Commissioner
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College, Coffee County Schools Create Vision for Education, Economic Development
Creating a pathway for students to earn a high school degree and become workforce ready is the focus of a partnership between Wiregrass Georgia Technical College (WGTC) and the Coffee County School System.
Douglas and Coffee County business leaders and governmental officials were in attendance for the official opening of the WGTC Allied Health and Public Safety Building and the Wiregrass Regional College and Career Academy.
Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Gretchen Corbin stated that partnerships between local school systems, state technical colleges, and businesses are the key to providing a highly educated and skilled workforce to meet current and future industry needs.
“It is exciting to be in a community like Coffee County that wants to get it done,” Corbin said to those in attendance at the ribbon cutting on July 21, 2016. “The Coffee County School System and Wiregrass Georgia Technical College have a common goal: To build the best partnership possible for K-12 education. A celebration like today’s—when we are joining an allied health building with a college and career academy within the Technical College System of Georgia—shows our current and future students that this is the place to go for a great education. The community and business leaders here know this partnership will produce a workforce for the next generation. Each and every one of you has helped make this possible.”
The 65,000-square-foot building represents the first time a Georgia College and Career Academy is housed on the campus of a technical college.
The Allied Health and Public Safety Building, which opened for classes this summer, provides class and laboratory space for existing and expanding allied health, public safety, cosmetology, and early childhood care and education programs.
“The additional space provides us with the opportunity to expand our programs,” said Brandy Wilkes, associate vice president for operations at the WGTC Coffee County campus. “Before, these programs were housed in mobile units that will be removed. We now have a larger library and student center, an updated bookstore, and meeting space for the community to utilize.”
Wilkes explained that the new building also provides the WGTC Coffee County campus with the ability to expand course offerings in professions that are high workforce demand areas.
“We have taught basic EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) courses, but now we are able to teach advanced EMT classes and have a fully functioning ambulance simulator,” Wilkes said. “Welding courses is another example of programs that we offer to meet employment needs in the area. We have an excellent working relationship with the business community, and we always try to be nimble to workforce needs of industries.”
The new building will also feature a biology and chemistry lab and a firearms training simulator for the criminal justice program.
“This is a tremendous time to be a student in Georgia. You can go to college while you are in high school, and all you have to do is work hard. It is also a great time to be a student in Coffee County, where students can graduate high school with an associate degree, possibly multiple degrees, and it cost nothing to the parents and the students,” said WGTC President Dr. Tina Anderson. “This partnership works for many reasons with the support of the legislators and the Coffee County School System because they believe that this is good for the students.”
Coffee County School System Superintendent Dr. Morris Leis voiced his appreciation for the support received by the local legislative delegation.
“Our legislators have been very supportive of the Coffee County School System,” Leis said. “We are fortunate to have the support that we enjoy for our public schools from our local representatives and senator. We consider them partners in education for Coffee County.”
Leis also recognized the long-standing partnership Coffee County School System shares with WGTC.
“We have students who are on the campus of the technical college full time beginning in ninth grade. The fact that students can attend high school full-time on the college campus gives our students and community advantages to compete globally like we have never known before,” Leis said. “Our local industries can work with the technical college and career academy to develop job-related training that creates a winning combination for everyone.”
The building has been in development for several years, and the state budget allocation process received support from various legislators including Senator Tyler Harper, R-Ocilla, who began his first term in office while helping the Coffee County School System, WGTC, and local business leaders secure funding for the facility.
“This was a team effort from the start,” said Harper. “The Coffee County School Board and Wiregrass Georgia Technical College had a vision. They were able to get support from the community, which made securing the state funds easier.”
Harper said he was impressed with the partnership between WGTC, Coffee County Schools, Douglas-Coffee County Chamber of Commerce, and local businesses leaders in helping to secure funds for the project.
“It all started with the budget process in the House. Former Representative Chuck Sims and former Representative Jay Roberts, who represented part of Coffee County, were extremely instrumental in getting half of the funding placed in the budget before it left the House, and then it came to the Senate,” Harper said. “Once it got to the Senate, it was up to me to get the remaining money. We worked hard with the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Jack Hill, and Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle’s office to secure full funding in the budget. Next, it went through conference committee before being approved by Governor Nathan Deal.”
Harper, who was in attendance at the ribbon cutting, stated that this project will have an important impact on education and workforce development, not only in Coffee County but also in surrounding communities that are serviced by the WGTC footprint.
“We are moving forward in making sure we have the people in jobs that are needed to increase economic development and job creation for companies in South Georgia,” said Harper. “In my opinion, education is economic development. Without an educated workforce you really can’t have true economic development. The new WGTC building and College and Career Academy are a great step in that direction.”
Creating a Pipeline for Workforce
Georgia College and Career Academies were established in 2011 through the passage of Senate Bill 161 as a way to partner businesses and communities to advance workforce development between local boards of education, private organizations or individuals, or a local or state public entity in cooperation with a postsecondary institution.
In 2013, the Coffee County School System began a college and career academy at a location near Coffee County High School and students traveled to WGTC to take dual enrollment classes. Later that year, the Technical College System of Georgia awarded a $3.15 million grant, to be matched with local funding, for building construction and initial start-up costs for the Wiregrass Regional College Career Academy (WRCCA) on the WGTC Coffee County campus, which officially opened in August 2016.
WRCCA is a partnership with the Coffee County School System and WGTC and offers fully accredited virtual high school classes as well as college courses to students. The WRCCA provides a student-centered, seamless, and comprehensive learning experience that helps prepare students for college and careers.
“Before, we were in a separate location and students had to take a bus to Wiregrass,” said WRCCA Principal Scott Gillis. “The students were limited as to which technical courses they could take and we had to have at least three or four students in a cohort to provide the transportation.”
Gillis said now that the students are in a building on the WGTC Coffee County campus they can take courses in any of the programs offered through the technical college.
“The geographical location is a big draw for the students coming to the college and career academy,” Gillis said. “Students take their high school courses through computer-based instruction, which gives them the flexibility they wouldn’t have at the main high school. It also gives them a way to get their technical college credits while getting their high school diploma.”
High school classes are administered online through Odysseyware, a national provider of customizable online courses for K-12 education. Students can choose to take these courses entirely online or through face-to-face classes located at WRCCA.
“Students can come to the WRCCA and get their high school required courses completed and work on an associate degree or technical diploma,” Gillis said. “With the skills they acquire at WRCCA, they can walk next door to South Georgia College and work on a four-year degree.”
Gillis said the mission of WRCCA is to ensure the students graduate from high school and are prepared to enter the workforce with a technical degree or are college ready and continue working toward a four-year degree.
“We want our students to be ready for whatever their career goal is after they graduate from WRCCA,” Gillis said. “I have been in education for 28 years, and this is a great opportunity to help students become more successful. When they graduate, they will be prepared to begin working in a technical area career or start a four-year college program.”