Mayor Palmer recognizes CTAE Month
Earlier this week, Calhoun’s Mayor, Mr. Jimmy Palmer signed a proclamation designating February CTAE Month, celebrating career, technical, and agricultural education.
With 17 career clusters, CTAE delivers career preparation, allowing high school students to choose an area of interest to enhance student achievement. From grades as early as pre-K through sixth, students foster career inspiration and awareness to begin exploring careers in middle school, so they are ready to choose a pathway to pursue in high school.
The mission of CTAE in Georgia is to educate the future workforce by providing experiences for students that will prepare them for workplace success. Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education prepares Georgia’s students for their next step after high school --college, beginning a career, registered apprenticeships, or the military.
At Calhoun City Schools, CTAE programs integrate core academic knowledge with technical and occupational skills to prepare students for post-secondary education and the workforce to meet the professional needs of high-skill, high-wage, indemand occupations. CTAE also integrates employability skills and hands-on learning with connections to the academic curriculum.
From the classes offered on the high school campus, internships in a business and industry, or the opportunity to take college classes through Dual Enrollment, students can gain knowledge
and skills to prepare them for college and career readiness. Students are expected to complete a pathway in sequential order. Upon completing a pathway, students will take an End of Pathway Assessment. Successfully passing the End of Pathway Assessment offers additional opportunities to our students, as many of these assessments provide students with state and national certifications.
Calhoun High School offers pathways in agriculture, audio/video/technology & film, construction, culinary, education, engineering, graphic design, healthcare science, information technology, and public safety. Work based learning opportunities are available at CHS for students
with a CTAE pathway. The local technical college also offers dual enrollment academic and technical opportunities.
In addition, Career and Technical Student Organizations are a vital part of Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education. CTSOs play an integral role in preparing students to become college and career ready. With more than 700 CHS students involved, these organizations provide career development opportunities and leadership training to enhance motivation through activities and events at the local, state, and national levels for middle and high school students to participate or compete in.
The profile of a Georgia
CTAE graduate is to be workplace ready, capable of demonstrating academic and technical skills, communicate effectively, solve problems creatively, collaborate purposefully, and act responsibly. Calhoun City Schools CTAE program success is driven by engaged stakeholders that provide students with the opportunity to develop the skills they need to thrive in the future workforce with outside-the-classroom experiences.
By focusing on pathway alignment to our local workforce development needs, industry partners gain access to the future pipeline of talent development. More than 85% of Calhoun High School students are enrolled in a CTAE program.