College or Career: Virtual Students Driven to Succeed

Professionals, educators and college counselors met with more than 45 students from Georgia Connections Academy at the Busbee Center and concluded one thing: these young men and women are ready to explore their academic and career interests.

On the one hand, students were able to interact with Community Participants including police officers, firemen and women, Emergency Med Techs and others whose careers center around technology in a car, van or truck.

Some students opted to learn more about universities at Georgia Apply to College Day, where they were assisted with applying to at least three colleges of their choice. Counselors were on hand to help the students fill out an effective application and pick the right school.

“The goal of Career Day was to empower students to be career focused and to help them define their aspirations,” said Georgia Connections Academy Career Coach Delisa Woods. “I think we got a lot of them making a real connection to their future.”

Georgia Connections Academy recently expanded its traditional college-prep curriculum to include a series of Career Technical Education courses – all delivered online. Now, in addition to college prep, virtual school students can take courses like Introduction to Law, Accounting, Introduction to Criminal Justice, Medical Terminology, and more.

Said Dr. Patricia Hoge, chief academic officer for Connections Academy. “Providing career education, even introductory courses, is a great way for students to ‘try-out’ a career that interests them – and because courses like ours are delivered online they provide more flexibility and personalization for students while their teachers are better able to focus on the needs of individual students.”

Educators also say two factors may be boosting student demand for both e-learning and CTE courses:  the desire for 21st Century learning skills and workforce readiness; and the request for scheduling flexibility for older students to pursue internships and/or part-time employment.

Presently 14 million students are enrolled in CTE courses — encompassing every state, with programs in nearly 1,300 public high schools and 1,700 two-year-colleges according to the National Center for Education Statistics. 

GACA students love the ‘real world relevance,’ of CTE courses, mixed with core academics, said Ms.Woods. 

The U.S. Department of Education found that students enrolled in CTE programs have a high school graduation rate of more than 90 percent, compared to the average national freshman graduation rate of 75 percent. Additionally, 70 percent of students concentrating in CTE areas stayed in post-secondary education or transferred to a four-year degree program.

“It’s truly a success when we can help students identify and explore various occupations and gain hands on experiences while making connections with others and real choices,” said Ms.Woods.