Georgia’s 2019 CTAE
graduation rate reaches 96.54%
November
4, 2019 – The
graduation rate for students involved in Career, Technical, and Agricultural
Education (CTAE) programs has risen to 96.54 percent in Georgia
This
rate – which applies to students who complete a Career Pathway – exceeds the
statewide graduation rate by 14.54 percentage points.
“Our
goal in education is to prepare students to live fulfilling lives,” State
School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “We want students to find careers
they love. We want them to use their skills and talents to contribute to their
communities and build the future of our state. Career, Technical, and
Agricultural Education makes that happen by connecting Georgia’s K-12 schools
with business and industry and helping students see the relevance of their
education. This year’s graduation rate shows the program continues to succeed.”
Placement
Rate: 99.6% of pathway completers go on to postsecondary education, advanced
training, military service, or employment
Utilizing
their skills after high school graduation, CTAE pathway completers are prepared
for the next step in their career journey. While the 2019 placement rate for
high school graduates who are pathway completers – in postsecondary education
or advanced training, in military service, or in employment six months
following graduation – is not yet available, the 2018 rate is 99.6 percent.
Georgia’s
CTAE program leverages partnerships with industry and higher education to make
sure students are ready to take their next step after high school. Students can
take courses in more than 100 Career Pathways within 17 Career Clusters, earn
recognized industry credentials, participate in work-based learning and
apprenticeship opportunities, and serve as leaders through membership in
co-curricular Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs).
CTAE
is for all students, and Career Pathway completers are prepared to pursue
higher education (through the University System of Georgia, Technical College
System of Georgia, or another institution), enter the military, accept an
apprenticeship opportunity or immediately begin their career.
Student
Stories
“CTAE
prepared me for college in multiple ways,” said Shakeria Glynn, a 2019
graduate of Howard High School and Bibb County Schools’ 2019 CTAE Student of
the Year. “With CTSOs [Career and Technical
Student Organizations], I improved my leadership and self-confidence, which
I utilize daily. Without that confidence, I would have never been able to
participate in dual enrollment my senior year of high school and begin a
successful career in college. Also, writing weekly papers for my classes is a
breeze after becoming a Microsoft Office Specialist in Word, something I could
have never done without my Business & Technology pathway.”
John
King, a 2019 graduate of Northside High School and the Houston County Career
Academy,
completed the Automotive pathway and currently works at BMW in Macon.
“Without
the education I received through the Automotive pathway, I would not be the
same person I am today,” King said. “It taught me how to be a leader and I
gained hands-on experience, which gave me a head start on my career and led to
a job with a promising future in the automotive field.”
Allie Elise Tucker, a 2019 graduate of
Camden County High School, completed two CTAE pathways – Pharmacy and Patient Care –
and is currently a student at the University of Alabama planning to pursue a
career in the healthcare industry. She said CTAE helped her make connections
between her coursework and career goals.
“For
example, my CTAE experiences have been invaluable in my Ethics course, where
job and employment application and judgment and decision-making go hand in
hand,” Tucker said. “I have been able to use those experiences as I respond to
ethical issues across many different settings and environments.”