Students attending the Troup County Career Center are now located directly on the LaGrange Campus of West Georgia Technical College as WGTC and the Troup County School System work to expand their partnership and offer students more opportunities.
Troup County Career Center supports recommended high school students in an individualized, academic, non-traditional, self-paced credit recovery program that allows them to get back on track toward graduation.
“Students at TCCC need to know that success doesn’t have to look like a traditional classroom. West Georgia Tech specializes in hands-on instruction that can provide these students an alternative path to graduation and success that leads to a rewarding and meaningful career,” West Georgia Technical College President Dr. Julie Post said. “We are grateful to Troup County Schools for putting their trust in WGTC and continuing to expand our partnership to offer additional pathways for students.”
In addition to direct access to college-level programs and credit recovery, the career center also helps students become involved in work-based learning programs, investigate internships and develop employability skills. Student progress is monitored by the TCCC staff and the base high school graduation coach.
Students have the opportunity to exercise Georgia’s Option B, which allows an alternative path to a high school diploma. Locally, West Georgia Tech is branding Option B as “Option Bravo.” Students utilizing Option Bravo do not have to complete all the traditional classroom requirements for a high school diploma, but instead earn two technical certificates in one of several eligible career pathways, a technical diploma or an associate degree while simultaneously completing nine required high school courses to earn a high school diploma. Some of the Option Bravo paths include Welding, Precision Manufacturing, Automotive, HVAC and Early Childhood Education.
“I’m very excited about the expansion of the Troup County Career Center into the main building of West Georgia Technical College. We are just now opening 50 seats for students who want to pursue both the academic and technical options at West Georgia Tech while still remaining as students at their based schools (Callaway, LaGrange, Troup),” Troup County School Superintendent Dr. Brian Shumate said. “We plan to expand the program in the coming months as demand increases.”
“I want to thank and acknowledge President Post and her staff for their forward thinking ideas as it relates to high school students as well as their continued partnerships with the Troup County School System,” Shumate said. “These types of opportunities for high school students are transformational.”
According to TCCC Principal Jeff Little, about half of the 50 spots will be 12th graders working to complete traditional credits for graduation and most others will be Option Bravo students who are dual-enrolled. As soon as students complete graduation requirements, they can transition either to work or West Georgia Technical College.
“Traditional education doesn’t work the same for every kid,” Little said. “This is one more piece we can add to help them get through school. We are grateful for this opportunity for our kids.”
In addition to Option Bravo, students also can participate in regular “Option A” dual enrollment programs such as cosmetology or criminal justice.
West Georgia Technical College, with campuses in Carroll, Coweta, Douglas, Haralson and Troup counties and class sites in Heard and Meriwether counties, offers more than 140 associate degree, diploma and technical certificate programs of study. A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, West Georgia Tech is one of the largest of the state’s 22 technical colleges. For more information, please visit westgatech.edu.
