GDoE to Expand Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education Into Elementary Schools

‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’

It’s a question often asked of children and some of the answers they come up with can be quite funny. But now the Georgia Department of Education is taking that question seriously.

On Thursday the GDoE announced they are developing elementary Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education courses that will allow students in the lower early grades to begin thinking about what career options they might want to explore.

“The courses will provide early exposure to careers and will be developmentally appropriate for elementary students,” said GDoE spokeswoman Meghan Frick. “The program will build on the success of Georgia’s existing Career Clusters and Pathways, along with the existing agricultural education courses in the early grades.”

The Dept of Education plans to work with business and industries, educators, and CTAE subject matter experts to develop the courses.

“Our mission in Georgia is to prepare students for life,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “These elementary Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education courses will build into our middle- and high-school CTAE opportunities and give students the chance to learn about the many options they have for a successful future.”

Frick said the plan is to have local school districts pilot the majority of the elementary CTAE courses as early as fall 2023.

CTAE in Georgia delivers a K-12 education that prepares students for their lives after high school. Students can learn skills for real-world careers in more than 100 Career Pathways – from financial technology to flight operations – while earning recognized industry credentials and participating in hands-on learning opportunities.

 

Georgia’s CTAE program offers 456 industry-certified programs across 17 Career Pathway Clusters, and Georgia’s CTAE Pathway completers graduated at a rate of 97% in the 2020-2021 school year.