Rome Reporter

Abbotts Hill Elementary School issued the following announcement on Feb. 18

For the last several years, the United States has been short on skilled workers, and experts predict the shortage could continue.    

Fulton County Schools is working hard to eliminate this gap and give students hands-on opportunities to become skilled in a trade before graduation. That way, those students leave school with experience they can use in the workforce, and the workforce benefits as well.

The Georgia Department of Education recently announced that Fulton County Schools' graduation rate is higher than the state average for Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) at 97.5 percent. The rate is based on students completing a pathway, which is three courses in one focus area.

"Students benefit from hands-on learning," explained Kylie Dayton, CTAE department head and graphic design teacher at Chattahoochee High School in Alpharetta. "There's a huge population that likes the hands-on learning."

Though the trades in Fulton County Schools are getting some well-deserved attention now, CTAE courses have been a big part of the district's philosophy for decades.

The first mention of Fulton County Schools' CTAE coursework was in 1938, when the strain of the Great Depression and a high unemployment rate made seeking a job after graduation more difficult. The school board partnered with the federal Works Progress Administration to gather information to create a district-wide program to help students graduate with skills that would translate directly into the workforce.

Prior to this, vocational education was often agriculturally-based and run by organizations like Future Farmers of America or Future Homemakers of America.

By the 1970s CTAE became a more formal, structured program. Today, all high schools and middle schools in Fulton County offer CTAE programming, and a few elementary schools. The Mountain Park Elementary/Crabapple Middle/Roswell High School cluster offers a continuous construction pathway from kindergarten through 12th grade. The Oakley Elementary/Bear Creek Middle/Creekside High School cluster offers a complete agricultural education program from kindergarten to 12th grade.

Evidence shows that this curriculum is here to stay, and the workforce needs these graduates.

"We need to make sure these opportunities are here for our kids," said Dr. Ethel Lett, principal of Tri-Cities High School in East Point. "Giving them this exposure helps them carve out who they are."

The application of this coursework in high school begins well before graduation. Students have the opportunity both inside and outside of school to gain experience that will benefit them later, like internships, externships, apprenticeships, projects and real-world clients.

For instance, CTAE audio/visual, marketing, engineering, culinary and cosmetology students at Tri-Cities High School partner with the school's fine arts magnet program to provide hair and makeup, set design, promotions, concessions, merchandise and video editing for theater productions.

"There is more to the world than our Tri-Cities classroom," said Larhonda Palmer, healthcare science teacher and CTAE department head. "Our students take what they learn out into the world."

Dayton's graphic design students at Chattahoochee High School take on real clients and present designs to them, and by the time they've completed the pathway (three graphic design courses plus the optional Advanced Placement Two-Dimensional Design through the Fine Arts department), the student has a portfolio of work they can show to clients outside of school.

"CTAE is a very important part of Chattahoochee's comprehensive high school experience," said Chattahoochee Principal Michael Todd. "While many of our students finish one of the many pathways we provide by taking three classes in a particular area, many others 'dabble' in different pathways to see what interests them most."

The CTAE department is proud of preparing students for what comes after high school.

"The cornerstone of CTAE is to prepare young people for life after high school, be it two- or four-year college, technical or trade school, apprenticeships, the military or the workforce," said Dustin Austin-Davis, the district's director of CTAE. "CTAE provides students with opportunities to expand their skillsets and become productive citizens in the global economy."

Original source can be found here.