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 2021, Central Georgia Technical College’s Economic Development Division served 254 companies through customized training and delivered 3,858,732 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 1:16 and 100% of the system’s teachers being Professionally Qualified, students receive an exceptional education.
Accolates:
Forbes named the Houston County School District as  “The BEST Employer in the State of Georgia!" ~ Aug. 24, 2020. 
Houston County's Class of 2020 SAT Scores Beat U.S. and State 4th 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 30,243
Teacher : Student Ratio 1:16
Number of Elementary Schools 24
Number of Middle Schools 8
Number of High Schools 5
Number of Alternative Schools 1
Average Expenditure per Pupil  $11,774
Graduation Rate 2021 91.8%
Percent of Graduates with either
College Prep or Vocational Endorsements
88%
Sources: Houston County Board of Education, 2019-2020 K-12 Public Schools Annual Report Card;
National Education Center for Education Statistics

Private Schools

Students Teacher
Student
Ratio
Grades
Offered
The Westfield School 610 1:12 PK-12
Sacred Heart* 200 1:11 PK-8
Christ School* 237 1:23 PK-5
Central Fellowship Christian 363 1:13 PK-12
Windsor Academy 225 1:15 PK-12
Mount de Sales Academy 518 1:14 6-12
First Presbyterian Day School 816 1:9 PK-12
Tattnall Square Academy 500 1:14 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 18 bachelor's degrees, 22 associate’s degrees and 20 certificate programs to more than 7,927 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 6,551 with campuses in Milledgeville, Macon, and Warner Robins, offering more than 40 undergraduate and more than 18 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 8,500 students enrolled in 12 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, which in 2014 named Mercer as the No. 1 Best Value in the South. 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 2017 totals 770 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 four associate degrees, nine bachelor’s degrees, and 13 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 7,500 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 2,000 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 has provided credit instruction to more than 51,000 students in the last five years. CGTC serves 11 counties in the region with three campuses and five instructional centers. Credit program enrollment in FY21 totaled 9,614. More than 200degree, 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 2018 Academic Year 2019 Academic Year 2021 3-year Total Graduates
Accounting 78 77 95 250
Air Conditioning Technology 62 81 101 244
Aircraft Structural Technology 57 83 94 234
Associate Degree Nursing 25 29 31 85
Auto Collision Repair 4 17 4 25
Automotive Technology 100 95 108 303
Aviation Maintenance Technology 33 58 30 121
Banking and Finance 12 30 18 60
Barbering 28 72 37 137
Biotechnology 7 10 8 25
Business Administrative Technology 803 880 54 1737
Business and Computer Technologies 5 5 71 81
Business Management 149 181 312 642
Cabinetmaking 6 6 0 12
Cardiovascular Technology 5 7 5 17
Carpentry 25 45 10 80
Clinical Laboratory Technology 33 42 8 83
Commercial Truck Driving 106 90 84 280
Computer Information Systems 426 263 135 824
Computer Programming 16 11 55 82
Computer Support Specialist 23 8 16 47
Construction Management 1 4 1 6
Cosmetology 169 172 126 467
Customer Service Support/Call Center - - 182 182
Criminal Justice 209 204 176 589
Culinary Arts 76 96 73 245
Dental Assisting 7 10 9 26
Dental Hygiene 31 32 31 94
Design and Media Production 29 67 87 183
Diesel Equipment Technology 11 8 8 27
Drafting 8 10 2 20
Early Childhood Care and Education 232 194 135 561
Electrical Systems Technology 30 29 51 110
Electrocardiography Technology 3 12 1 16
Electronics and Telecommunications 44 74 45 163
Emergency Management 11 1 1 113
Engineering Technology 8 8 25 41
General Studies 175 412 383 967
Geographic Information Systems 2 3 0 5
Gerontology 2 2 0 4
Health Care Assistant 54 31 123 208
Hemodialysis 30 31 31 92
Horticulture/Horticultural Operations - - 5 5
Hotel/Restaurant/Tourism Management 21 9 93 123
Industrial Systems Technology 74 94 100 268
IT Professional 34 28 127 189
Logistics Management 34 31 83 148
Machine Tool Technology 14 22 19 55
Marketing Management 9 7 9 25
Mechanic and Repair Technologies - - 470 470
Medical Assisting 76 84 276 436
Metrology 2 4 14 22
Networking Specialist 16 21 91 128
Orthopedic Technology 11 15 0 26
Paralegal Studies 8 9 14 31
Paramedicine 78 128 103 309
Pharmacy Technology 6 7 12 25
Phlebotomy Technician/Phlebotomist - - 31 31
Plumbing 19 27 30 76
Polysomnography 5 8 7 20
Practical Nursing 298 232 77 607
Professional/Technical/Scientific Writing - - 37 37
Radiologic Technology 57 52 43 152
Science Technologies - - 207 207
Sports and Fitness Management 1 4 6 11
Surgical Technology 12 21 23 56
Veterinary Technology 3 33 14 50
Web Site Design/ Development 3 6 18 27
Welding and Joining Technology 226 276 213 715
         
*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