Cooperative Education
Cooperative Education programs provide paid work experiences linked to the Career, Technical, and Agriculture program the student is pursuing.  Students are released from school one or two periods to work at a job part-time in a paid position.  Students attend both academic and occupational-related courses during the remainder of the school day.


Youth Apprenticeship
Youth Apprenticeships are unique opportunities for juniors and seniors to start preparing for their career path while still in high school.  They combine school-based learning, occupational activities, and work-based learning with an employer.  Students work one to three periods per day depending on their schedule.  Apprenticeships include business, health services, teacher/child care, automotive, and construction.

Student benefits include:

• Establishing a clear connection between education and work.
• Increases motivation and retention by showing the relevance of academic and occupational instruction.
• Provides opportunities to explore possible careers and enhances skill development.
• Encourages completion of secondary education and enrollment in postsecondary education.
• Provides opportunities for leadership development

Business and Industry benefits include:

• Provides an opportunity to prepare future employees.
• Offers a source of skilled and motivated future employees.
• Offers an opportunity to provide community services.
• Increases employer visibility in education.
• Provides an opportunity to communicate required job-specific skills to educational personnel.

School benefits include:

• Keeps academic and occupational curricula up-to-date through communication with business and industry.
• Provides access to the latest equipment and technology.
• Enhances education's ability to meet the needs of diverse student populations.
• Promotes faculty interaction with the business community.
• Facilitates communication regarding actual academic and occupational proficiencies required by business and industry.

Community benefits include:

• Provides and informed, competent, and productive future workplace.
• Ensures cooperation and understanding between education, business, and the community.
• Enhances awareness of local employment opportunities.
• Builds the foundation for a more productive local economy.

Internships
An internship tends to be a short-term placement directly related to a student's program of study.  Internships usually begin after completion of school-based learning in the student's chosen career focus area.  These placements are usually for intense observation of how a job is performed in a specific career area.

Job Shadowing
A student "shadows" an employee at a workplace for one or more days to learn about a particular occupation or industry.  Job shadowing is to help students refine their career objectives.

Get Into Industry Initiative
 “Get Into Industry” is a CTAE program designed to increase Work-Based Learning (WBL) Coordinators knowledge of today’s business and industry environment. It is an opportunity for our partners to engage directly with instructors, discuss their business and industry workforce needs, and offer insight to areas of instruction that will support their business. The initiative is bridge which links students and industry for the purpose of connecting students with business and experiential opportunities within their chosen field of study. 

In efforts to provide students with real world, real work experiences, instructors must stay current on various aspects of business environments such as local business offerings (products and services), economic trends, career/job opportunities and workforce development needs. The program also connects teachers with resources that include: interviewing practices, hiring and screening process, expectations of employers, corporate culture, etc. 

The program gives WBL instructors face time with area businesses, economic and workforce development entities and different corporations. As a professional development tool that directly impacts student education in a positive way, instructors have the opportunity to engage in position shadowing, site tours, and participate in Q&A sessions with industry professionals and company representatives.

Program Objectives

• Gain personal and professional insights to provide better instruction, career and employment direction to students
• Gain insight and information on economic trends, career opportunities and workforce needs
• Networking and direct interaction with industry professionals and potential employers
• Gain first-hand knowledge on existing businesses
• Professional development

Get Into Industry Hosts and Partners

• Lockheed Martin, Marietta
• Open River Pictures, Pinewood Studios, Fayetteville
• Invest Clayton, Clayton County Economic Development, Morrow
• LowTemp Industries, Jonesboro
• Hearts To Nourish Hope, Riverdale
• Fincher Denmark, LLC, Attorneys at Law, Jonesboro
• Georgia Apartment Industry Education Foundation, Southern Crescent Region
• Castellini Group of Companies, Forest Park
• Southern Regional Medical Center, Riverdale
• ESTES Services, Atlanta (North Clayton County)
• Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta (North Clayton County)
• Google Fiber, College Park
• RB Management, Inc., Atlanta

If your business would like to host a Get Into Industry function, please contact: [email protected]

Great Promise Partnership
GPP is affiliated with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Workforce Division (formerly the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development). The program works with youth that are at risk of not graduating from high school, with the promise that if they will continue their education, we will support their efforts and help them prepare for further education, military service or the workforce after graduation. Great Promise Partnership™ is a program that emphasizes real-world skills, mentoring and goal setting. It allows teens 16 and older to spend part of the day at school and part of the day at the job site. There, they benefit from on-the-job training at real entry-level jobs, mentoring, life and career skill sessions and service learning projects. Students may also earn pay raises based on job and academic performance, attendance and behavior.

CTAE Advisory Board Representation 
Advisory Board Representation