BLAIRSVILLE, Ga – Union County Schools (UCS) moved forward with the creation of a College and Career Academy (CCA), presenting the first reading of the by-laws for the program. Superintendent John Hill championed the CCA and the opportunity it creates to provide local businesses with highly skilled employees.

“We have to feed our [big] employers a sustainable workforce,” stated Hill. “They are so hungry for good employees. We’re not talking about minimum wage jobs; we’re talking about kids that can graduate from the C&C pathway, at 18 years old, and go to work making $40,000 right out of the gate.”

Hill also mentioned how some of these companies are prepared to pay for their employees’ secondary degrees. As a result, these individuals work and later graduate from a college or trade school with zero debt.

Once the by-laws are approved after the second reading, the CCA board of directors can be created, which must include business and industry leaders. However, the ultimate authority will remain with the board and superintendent.

Majority of the board reviewing the by-laws.

No additional staffing requirements are expected at this time, but a secretary might be necessary, in the future.

UCS is in talks with North Georgia Technical College and Blue Ridge Mountain EMC to partner together for certain career pathways. This could also eliminate the need to hire additional staff.

Welding, automotive, computer science, cybersecurity, healthcare, engineering, manufacturing, entrepreneurship, and sports medicine would all be career pathways available under the CCA. It also can expand if necessary.

The goal is for the CCA to be regional as well, so students from Towns County could participate.

Hill warned that if UCS doesn’t act, then in a few years, no one locally will be able to fill the roles in the community.

“A lot of the skilled builders and tradesmen are older ladies and gentlemen, and [if] we’re not able to feed that workforce student graduates, they will have to go somewhere else. It’s a much bigger problem than just a Union County issue. It’s a nationwide problem. This is our attempt to address it,” said Hill.

He believes if UCS doesn’t “open [students] eyes to every option available, then they aren’t doing their job as educators.

Businesses in the community will soon experience an aging-out problem and students need to realize that a vocational program might be their better option. The owners of these businesses are also eager to help the school in CCA efforts. They’ve offered to instruct students and work to find solutions.

“I was shocked when I got into some of these businesses. They were open-armed. There are so many jobs, and they can’t keep up. They’re having to bring people from the outside in because we’re not meeting the workforce,” affirmed Union County High School Principal C.T. Hussion.

UCS plans to apply for the College and Career Academy Grant as well.