Gov. Nathan Deal announced that the board of the Technical College System of Georgia approved grants totaling $9 million to establish new College and Career Academies in Greene County, Paulding County and Marietta. Each of the three academies will receive $3 million, which will be matched with local funding to support startup costs, construction and initial staffing.
 
“Many of Georgia’s current and future employment opportunities require some form of education beyond high school,” said Deal. “To help meet this demand, Georgia’s College and Career Academies bring together the resources of local education systems and the technical college system to better prepare students to enter the workforce or pursue other options in higher education. Community support is critical in our efforts to cultivate educational settings that introduce students to high-demand fields and provide greater opportunities for academic achievement across the state. With these three new academies, TCSG is continuing to establish innovative partnerships that will serve Georgia students well for years to come.”
 
Two of Georgia’s technical colleges will partner with local education systems to establish the academies. Athens Technical College will partner with Greene County to establish the Greene County College and Career Academy in Greensboro. Chattahoochee Technical College will collaborate with local partners to establish both the Marietta High School College and Career Academy in Marietta, and the Paulding County College and Career Academy in Dallas.
 
“We congratulate these communities for their vision in seeking exciting new opportunities for their students while growing their resources for workforce development,” said TCSG Commissioner Gretchen Corbin. “The academies play an important role in encouraging high school students to dually enroll in college. Last year, more than 21,000 high school students received credits at a Georgia technical college.”