398
WBL & YAP Coordinators
19,394
2017 Students Served
8000+
Participating Employers
$40,000,000
2017 Wages Earned by WBL Students
381
Participating Schools
The Georgia Work-Based Learning Program assists businesses with building a highly trained, technologically sophisticated and career oriented young work force. Our goal is to assist in the creation of a strong support structure between local employers, students and schools. Work-Based Learning supplies talent to address industry workforce shortage needs. We promote an industry-driven system where employers set occupational skills standards, collaborate on curriculum, provide work experience and certify mastery of skills. Focus on the future with Georgia Work-Based Learning.
WBL & YAP Coordinators
2017 Students Served
Participating Employers
2017 Wages Earned by WBL Students
Participating Schools
Our local Work Based Learning program provides sharp, professional students who are talented and eager to learn. We use WBL participants as part of our intern program and enjoy how readily they integrate with our team. It is wonderful to have this resource in our community for creating career paths that benefit small businesses with a work-ready work force to recruit locally from.
For the third year, the Bank of America Foundation generously provided funding to Goodwill to allow for youth to explore career options via internship programs. From July to December 2019, the teams at eight Goodwill career centers supervised the 68 youth who participated. A total of 10,364 hours were worked.
Goodwill’s Oakwood Career Center has had a long-standing relationship with the Lanier College Career Academy (LCCA). In 2019, the Oakwood Career Center placed eight interns, who worked a total of 1200 hours. Six of these interns were LCCA students.
C3 Navigator Sherry Burns, who was responsible for identifying youth who might be interested in the many opportunities that the grant offered, was excited to learn of the potential for students being able to participate in internships while in school. She shares, “When I read the grant, I immediately thought of students at LCCA, as they could really benefit from earning money while keeping their focus on their academics. The grant’s scope in enabling these young people to begin the realization of their dreams was phenomenal and I know that the students’ lives have been positively impacted because of this experience.”
Surveys of LCCA students have revealed that the ability to work on campus is very important due to transportation issues. As LCCA Executive Director Rhonda Samples shared, the internship opportunities provided by BOA’s generosity are a blessing for these students, many of who are from families that are struggling to get by.
LCCA’s student-based enterprises provide job skills, including critical soft skills, and career exploration. Students learn what types of jobs will be good fits for their interests and personalities. The work experience can provide a career jump start, and the valuable ability to explore alternatives.
Deana Harper, a lifelong resident of North Georgia, currently serves as the CTAE Administrator and Career Specialist at North Hall High School in Gainesville, Georgia. She received her undergraduate degree from the American College of Education. Her original degree was Business Education, but she worked in industry for 10 years before beginning her teaching career. This year will complete 22 years of teaching, all at North Hall High School.
Deana is most passionate about providing experiences for students to help them identify/solidify their future career goals while coaching them on the value of a strong work ethic. She works tirelessly to assist young people in making Classroom to Real World “connections.” She is dedicated to making a difference not only in her community, but throughout the State of Georgia. She has served on the Work-Based Learning State Executive Board since 2012, where she served as State President (2015-2016).
As Career Specialist, she coordinates the Work-Based Learning program which includes career education for grades K-12, implementing employability skill training initiatives, arranging career awareness activities for individual students and entire classes, and implementing career guidance materials for advisement groups (9-12 grades) to include interest inventories, career education and career planning.
Deana and her husband Corbett reside in Clermont. They have three adult children and are expecting their first grandchild any day.
Because of her dedication in providing hands-on relevant learning for her students, Deana Harper is the 2019 Educator of the Year for Junior Achievement of Northeast Georgia.
Sponsored by Abit and Kayenne Massey
Grady Vardeman
The mission of the Work-Based Learning Program is to assist in providing a highly trained, technologically sophisticated and career oriented young work force. This is accomplished by developing partnerships between business, industry, students, parents, school systems, coordinators, post-secondary institutions, and registered apprenticeships which will lead the participating student into meaningful careers.
Georgia had 19,394 students enrolled in credit bearing Work-Based Learning courses in 2017, which includes 3,219 students in Youth Apprenticeship Placements. The vision of the Work-Based Learning Program includes:
Creating a seamless transition from career oriented courses in High School to post-secondary education, credentials, and a successful career.
Opportunity for students to develop strong employability skills (soft skills) that will make them desired employees.
Application of the technical skills learned in related coursework while working in real life employment situations