Workforce Education and Training

The Dougherty County School System’s 16 five-star schools, magnet schools and advanced Centers of Excellence are all part of a coordinated effort to prepare students with the knowledge and critical thinking skills required of an agile workforce of the future. Another asset: Albany Technical College’s Dual Enrollment program that allows qualified high school students to get a jumpstart on college and career tracks, with college credit courses (transferrable to 4- or 2-year institutions) and aligned technical credits.

The 4C Academy offers high school students the opportunity to earn college credits and/or technical certification. A collaborative partnership between Albany State University and Albany Technical College, the 4C Academy is governed by a board of directors composed of local business and industry leaders. As a result, curriculum and programs are strategically designed to meet local and regional employer needs, with a heavy emphasis on STEM, 14 high-demand careers as well as the necessary professional/soft skills. The school’s strong business and community partnerships, its growing internship program and its innovative project-based learning earned the 4C Academy a designation by the Lieutenant Governor’s Office as Georgia’s College and Career Academy of the year in 2021.

The fourth largest Job Corps center in the 123-member national network, the Turner Job Corps Center in Albany provides free education and job training for eligible participants from 16 to 24 years old. The Center’s 12 career technical training programs include construction, manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, homeland security, transportation, finance and business, automotive and machine repair, and renewable resources and energy.

This forward-thinking two-year public institution helps Albany-Dougherty meet dynamic workforce needs, providing nearly 5,000 students with top-flight training in 39 high-demand careers, through more than 25 associate degrees, 70 certificates and 40 diplomas. ATC works closely with area industry through the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission (ADEDC) to create curriculum aligned with industry requirements, designing new and innovative coursework to maintain peak workforce competitiveness.

ATC is also a powerful partner to industry as home to the Center for Business Solutions. Among other services, the Center offers specialized courses and credit programs covering:

• Business Logistics Management
• Industrial Operations Technician
• Lean Six Sigma
• Operations Management

ATC, through the Center for Business Solutions, also provides customized training for industry. While working closely with respective employers to identify needed skills, ATC’s experienced trainers act as collaborative partners with the professionals at Georgia’s Quick Start program, the state’s custom training program. Quick Start sets the national standard in custom development, ranked #1 in the U.S. for the past 14 years in all published surveys of site selection professionals. For qualified projects, custom training is provided at no charge and can be delivered in the classroom, mobile laboratory or onsite.

A member of the University System of Georgia and the largest of Georgia’s eight HBCU’s (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), ASU offers its 6,000 students a wide array of graduate, baccalaureate, associate degrees and certifications. The University’s more than 60 programs include education, nursing, communication, health sciences, business administration and technology management.

ASU leading achievements

• One of only two schools in the Georgia system to offer the nexus degree, in blockchain with machine learning and blockchain with data analytics
• The largest HBCU producer of nursing graduates, with a new $800,000 advanced simulation center for nursing and allied health.
• Georgia’s only accredited Forensic Science Education program.
• Home of the recently launched Undergraduate Health Science Academy and the Aspiring Teacher Academy.
• Home of the ASU Summer Learning (SLA), a STEM-based summer enrichment program recognized for its innovation by the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education.
• Conduit for high-impact research opportunities for students from across disciplines, including research participation and internships Columbia University, University of California at Irvine and the Google Computer Science Summer Institute.