Training & Education

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Houston County, Georgia is ready to meet the educational and training needs of its businesses and residents. Whether by providing top quality pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade education for its children or higher education needs and business training for adults, Houston County has it covered.


In 2023, Central Georgia Technical College’s Economic Development Division served 267 companies through customized training and delivered 5,604,184 hours of training.

 

Central Georgia Technical College’s Office of Economic Development Programs

work with area employers to ensure a well-trained workforce by providing customized business and industry training and continuing education.

Training

One of Georgia’s top incentives for job creation is Quick Start, a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia. Quick Start is an internationally acclaimed provider of workforce training solutions for businesses that are creating jobs in our state. Quick Start provides customized workforce training, free-of-charge, to qualified companies. Quick Start consistantly is ranked as the  #1 training program in the U.S. in all published surveys of Site Selection Professionals. 

Houston County is also home to the Georgia VECTR Center, which serves as a gateway for veterans’ re-entry into Georgia’s public postsecondary educational systems and the workforce. VECTR Center programs abbreviate the process of veterans receiving postsecondary certificates and degrees by recognizing the extensive training veterans receive during their military service.

The Houston County Career Academy, a charter unit of the Houston County School System, includes an industrial mechanics lab with small-scale replicas of the tools and equipment used by local manufacturers. Students in the industrial maintenance program learn industrial mechanics, fluid power and piping systems, and electric motors and control systems.

Click Here to view the most recent Houston County, Georgia
Site Selection Info.
Video Frito Lay
HCCA is home to the
State of Georgia’s First High
School Industrial Maintenance
Lab, 
a public private partnership
between the School system, CGTC,
The Development Authority and
Frito Lay.

Watch Video


 

Houston County is leading the way in preparing students for the jobs of tomorrow.

Opening of the first Industrial Maintenance Lab in Georgia’s Career Academies


K-12

Houston County Schools - Georgia Schools of Excellence and National Schools of Excellence - Best Employer in the State of Georgia 

Houston County enjoys an outstanding public school system which draws families to the area. With a teacher/pupil ratio of 1:15 and 100% of the system’s teachers being Professionally Qualified, students receive an exceptional education.
Accolates:
Forbes named the Houston County School District as one of  “The BEST Employers in the State of Georgia!" ~ 2022. 
Houston County's Class of 2022 SAT Scores Beat U.S. and State 6th year in a row!
Niche.com ranks Houston County Schools as the tenth best school system in Georgia and the third most diverse system in Georgia, while U.S. News ranks Veterans High School and Houston County High School among the top high schools in the state.

STEM programs are strong in the Houston County schools, from elementary level to high school AP programs. An award-winning robotics club operates out of the Houston County Career Academy.


Houston County School System

Total Enrollment 32,015
Teacher : Student Ratio 1:15
Number of Elementary Schools 24
Number of Middle Schools 8
Number of High Schools 5
Number of Alternative Schools 1
Average Expenditure per Pupil  $13,206
Graduation Rate 2023 87.6%
Percent of Graduates with either
College Prep or Vocational Endorsements
77.4%
Sources: Houston County Board of Education, 2022-2023 K-12 Public Schools Annual Report Card;
National Education Center for Education Statistics

Private Schools

Students Teacher
Student
Ratio
Grades
Offered
The Westfield School 591 1:11 PK-12
Sacred Heart* 252 1:13 PK-8
Christ School* 174 1:11 PK-5
Central Fellowship Christian 252 1:11 PK-12
Windsor Academy 313 1:16 PK-12
Mount de Sales Academy 560 1:8 6-12
First Presbyterian Day School 756 1:9 PK-12
Tattnall Square Academy 476 1:11 PK-12
*Located in Houston County

Research


Mercer Engineering Research Center (MERC) has been a proven asset to Middle Georgia’s companies since 1985. MERC delivers unmatched interdisciplinary engineering and applied scientific expertise with 160 full time engineers, scientists, analysts, logisticians and management experts. MERC has provided support and expertise to all arms of the military, particularly the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex. MERC has also completed successful projects with Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Gulfstream and Raytheon.

ATTC-Middle Georgia is another resource serving the needs of Robins Air Force Base and local employers, specifically working with the Air Force Advanced Technology and Training Center. The Air Force opened the Advanced Technology and Training Center in Warner Robins in 2018 as a place to train on and test new technologies without interrupting actual aircraft maintenance production.

Education


Middle Georgia State University is a public, four-year institution offering 23 bachelor's degrees, 13 associate’s degrees and 20 certificate programs to more than 7,600 students. Designed by the University System of Georgia to offer an affordable college education, MGA consistently ranks at the top in value and excellent instruction leading to degrees that are in high demand. Their campus is located in Warner Robins, as well as four other nearby cities. Middle Georgia State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.


Georgia College & State University (Georgia College) is Georgia's designated Public Liberal Arts University, combining the educational experience expected at esteemed private liberal arts colleges with the affordability of public higher education. Located in historic Milledgeville, Georgia, just a few miles from the geographic center of the State, Georgia College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate, baccalaureate, masters, and specialist degrees. Georgia College has a total enrollment of 6,800  with campuses in Milledgeville, Macon, and Warner Robins, offering more than 35 undergraduate and more than 26 graduate programs.


Mercer University is one of America’s oldest and most distinctive institutions of higher learning, offering rigorous programs that span the undergraduate liberal arts to doctoral level degrees. With more than 9,700 students enrolled in 13 schools and colleges on campuses in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah; three medical school sites in Macon, Savannah and Columbus; and at four Regional Academic Centers around the state, Mercer is consistently ranked among the nation’s leading institutions by such publications as U.S. News & World Report. Mercer University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Mercer’s nationally recognized School of Engineering’s enrollment for 2023 totals 750+ students.


Fort Valley State University (FVSU) is a historically black college with a rich teacher education heritage and is the only senior college with a state-wide land-grant research and public service mission. FVSU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate, baccalaureate, master and specialist degrees. While the main campus remains in Fort Valley, the university also maintains a commuter campus in Warner Robins.


Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide Aeronautical University is the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace. The Robins Campus – located at Robins Air Force Base – offers six associate degrees, 18 bachelor’s degrees, and 22 master’s degrees, as well as undergraduate certifications, to service members and civilians. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.


Wesleyan College was the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women. Wesleyan is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and the Georgia Professional Standards Commission to award baccalaureate and master’s degrees. The college more than 50 major, minor, and pre-professional degree programs with an average class size of fewer than 20 students.


Georgia Military College (GMC) is one of America’s best public-independent junior colleges and is one of only five military junior colleges nationwide. GMC is one of the fastest growing and second largest two-year colleges in the state with more 11,000 students enrolled at 13 campuses across Georgia. GMC is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award two-year associate's and four-year bachelor's degrees in dozens of programs. Approximately 1,270 students are enrolled at the Warner Robins’s campus for GMC.

Central Georgia Technical College (CGTC), a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, has its main campus in Warner Robins, which is the largest technical college campus in the state. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. CGTC serves 11 counties in the region with three campuses and 12 instructional centers. Credit program enrollment in FY23 totaled 13,457. More than 175 degree, diploma, and technical certificate programs supply the workforce for the region’s strategic industries: advanced manufacturing, aerospace, healthcare, life sciences, and logistics and distribution. 
 

GRADUATES
Program Academic Year 2021 Academic Year 2022 Academic Year 2023 3-year Total Graduates
Accounting 95 25 105 225
Air Conditioning Technology 101 122 172 395
Aircraft Powerplant Technology 94 81 99 274
Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture 0 0 3 3
Associate Degree Nursing 31 35 29 95
Auto Collision Repair 4 2 0 6
Automotive Technology 108 92 113 313
Aviation Maintenance Technology 30 73 112 215
Banking and Finance 18 22 50 90
Barbering 37 43 74 154
Biotechnology 8 5 6 24
Business and Computer Technologies 71 49 60 180
Business Management 312 127 195 634
Cardiovascular Technology 5 7 3 15
Carpentry 10 28 52 90
Child Care Provider/Support Services 0 0 97 97
Clinical Laboratory Technology 8 7 9 24
Commercial Truck Driving 84 58 85 227
Computer Information Systems 135 18 46 199
Computer Installation and Repair Technology 0 0 90 90
Computer Programming 55 30 28 113
Computer Support Specialist/Data Processing 16 9 16 41
Construction Management 1 4 2 7
Cosmetology 126 206 282 614
Customer Service Support/Call Center 182 253 258 693
Criminal Justice 176 188 190 554
Culinary Arts 73 60 79 212
Dental Assisting 9 10 10 29
Dental Hygiene 31 26 27 84
Design and Media Production 87 80 89 256
Diesel Equipment Technology 8 22 23 53
Drafting 2 3 0 5
Early Childhood Care and Education 135 43 26 204
Electrical Systems Technology 51 13 1 65
Electrician 0 0 69 69
Electrocardiography Technology 1 6 4 11
Electronics and Telecommunications 45 35 27 107
Emergency Management 1 0 0 2
Engineering Technology 25 71 43 139
Entrepreneurship/Small Business Management 0 0 30 30
General Studies 383 201 338 922
Health Care Assistant 123 16 19 158
Heavy Equipment/Vehicle Maintenance 0 0 32 32
Hemodialysis 31 0 0 31
Horticulture/Horticultural Operations 5 0 19 24
Hotel/Restaurant/Tourism Management 93 0 98 191
Human Resources Management 0 0 45 45
Imaging Tech./MRI/Sonography/Ultrasound 0 0 11 11
Industrial Systems/Instrumentation Technology 100 60 71 231
IT Professional 127 22 25 174
Logistics Management 83 76 106 265
Machine Tool Technology 19 15 19 53
Marketing Management 9 12 10 31
Mechanic and Repair Technologies 470 884 274 1,628
Medical Assisting 276 129 105 510
Medical Insurance Coding/Specialist/Biller 0 0 52 52
Metrology 14 0 0 14
Networking Specialist 91 95 107 293
Nursing Assistant/Patient Care Assistant 0 0 175 175
Paralegal Studies 14 7 7 28
Paramedicine 103 111 115 329
Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies 6 4 3 13
Pharmacy Technology 12 3 8 23
Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist 31 19 21 71
Physical Therapy/Rehabilitation Assistant 0 0 22 22
Plumbing 30 13 18 61
Polysomnography 7 4 11 22
Practical Nursing 77 69 95 241
Professional/Technical/Scientific Writing 37 54 33 124
Radiologic Technology 43 27 27 97
Renal/Dialysis Technologist/Technician 0 0 18 18
Science Technologies 207 208 188 603
Surgical Technology 23 19 15 57
Veterinary Technology 14 0 5 19
Web Site Design/ Development 18 12 19 49
Welding and Joining Technology 213 294 334 841
         
         
*A single graduate can earn multiple awards.        
         
Innovative staffing solutions like the HCCA Industrial Maintenance program in Perry, Ga. will help ensure we have a pipeline of talent to fill high-tech roles now and in the future, while giving students a career path to ensure their future success.

It’s a great opportunity for today’s youth and it will ensure the viability of manufacturing in central Georgia for years to come.

- Craig Hoffman,
Frito Lay Director of Maintenance and Education