Special Services - Workforce Development
The Special Services Workforce Development Division includes two operation units: Adult Training and Technology Services/JTPA and Transitional Support Services.

Special Services Workforce Development ensures that all students achieve maximum success by providing programs that enhance their potential. Programs include New Connections to Work, Georgia Fatherhood, Equity Services, and Adult Training and Technology Services/JTPA.

New Connections to Work
New Connections to Work is a state and federally funded program offered in 34 technical colleges and three colleges with technical divisions. The program has offered services to the target population for 20 years. The target population includes single parents, displaced homemakers, single pregnant women, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients. During FY 00, more than 14,000 participants were assisted in their goal to achieve economic self-sufficiency.

New Connections to Work continues to provide comprehensive training activities that include assessments, life skills/job readiness workshops, career guidance and support services, and occupational skills training leading to employment.

The program continues its collaboration with the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR), Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS). During FY 00, more than 9,000 TANF recipients received services through the New Connections to Work programs.

Georgia Fatherhood Program
Interagency Partnerships  Since 1998 when the Department of Technical and Adult Education entered into a partnership with the Department of Human Resources, Child Support Enforcement to provide services under the Georgia Fatherhood Program (GFP), state agencies have approached DTAE as a potential partner in other endeavors.

State Board of Pardons and Paroles
DTAE has finalized a Memorandum of Understanding with DHR and the State Board of Pardons and Paroles to pilot the Fatherhood Program for Parolees (FPP). Recognizing the success of a comprehensive delivery system of education, training, and job placement for non-custodial parents, Pardons and Paroles has chosen to use the GFP for non-custodial parents on parole. The pilot program will operate in accordance with the GFP model in five technical colleges and three restorative justice centers (parole offices). The goals will continue to be increased child support collections; improved education, training and job placement; improved relationships between non-custodial parents on parole and their children; and a trained labor pool for Georgia employers. Moreover, with the involvement of the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, a new outcome will be a decrease in the number of re-offending non-custodial parents on parole.

Department of Labor
The Department of Labor (DOL) continues to be an important partner in the GFP. Collaboration with local DOL field offices assists DTAE in the placement and retention of GFP participants in the labor market. Working with members of the Georgia Employer Committee enables GF Coordinators to keep apprised of employment opportunities and trends, both locally and statewide. As the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) becomes fully implemented in Georgia, increased funding sources for training and placement will enable the Georgia Fatherhood Program to reach its stated goals.

Department of Corrections
The redirection of state funds during the past several years impacted state agencies in many ways. While the Department of Corrections (DOC) continued its mission to maintain public safety by providing safe and secure correctional facilities, severe budget cuts were realized in the areas of education and vocational training. The Georgia Fatherhood Program was approached by DOC to provide life skills and survival skills training to those inmates who meet GFP criteria and who will be eligible for parole or release within six to nine months.

Department of Community Affairs
The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is in the midst of a three-year pilot called the "Next Step Program," which is directed toward the homeless population in the state. Working with 14 organizations statewide, DCA provides housing assistance and support services to citizens in need. The Division of Housing Finance in DCA provides housing assistance in the form of low-interest loans and housing subsidies. Many of the clients are custodial parents with children who are in need of receiving court-ordered child support payments in order to provide for their families. DTAE has begun working with DCA to inform them of the provisions and benefits offered by the Georgia Fatherhood Program and to determine those areas in which collaboration could strengthen both programs.

Adult Training and Technology Services/JTPA
The purpose of the Education Coordination and Grants Program is defined in Section 123 of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), as amended in 1992. Section 123 funds activities that provide education and training services to eligible JTPA participants through a cooperative agreement between the designated state agency (DTAE) and the state's 16 Service Delivery Areas (SDAs).

The mission of JTPA Coordination and Grants is to ensure that persons who are economically disadvantaged and/or have serious barriers to employment are brought into the workforce as trained, productive workers. In this final year of JTPA, grants were made to SDAs to operate coordination projects locally.

This year's primary activities included the coordination of four "One-Stop" Center developments, funding of personnel to coordinate support services to students in school in seven projects, and teaching basic skills related to job requirements. Most programs supported on-going activities conducted by the SDAs. Section 123 activities require the service provider to match its grant dollar-for-dollar. Schools have traditionally used facilities, equipment, and personnel as an in-kind match.

In FY 00, $1,156,108 was available for coordination with other resources to assist unemployed or underemployed individuals with other barriers to employment through 22 grants.

Welfare-To-Work
DTAE is part of a three-agency team developing Georgia's approach to Welfare-to-Work. Each agency contributes toward the common goal, moving individuals from welfare to self- sufficiency. Georgia's Welfare-to-Work grant continues to focus on five strategies and was developed in conjunction with the Georgia Work Connection:

• Integrating the grant and principles into workforce development efforts

• Broadening the responsibilities for private industry councils as governing boards

• Using a comprehensive assessment process to determine the needs of TANF customers serviced with grant funds

• Providing services to meet the customers' needs in the move to self-sufficiency

• Using existing resources

Last year, DTAE participated in the inter-agency team that revised and updated Georgia's Welfare-to-Work state plan.

Student Services Support
Student Services Support is responsible for providing students with assessment, admissions, career planning, counseling/advisement, career development, placement, federal and state financial, resource development, and business center services.

Financial Assistance Services
During this fiscal year, technical college students received financial assistance through the Federal Pell Grant Program, and 68,656 students were enrolled in the HOPE grant and scholarship program. Since September 1, 1993 through August 12, 2000, 223,164 students have received $19,697,406 through the HOPE scholarship program, of which $30,144,910 was received during FY 00.

Equity Services and Special Populations Services
Equity Services assist nontraditional students, minorities, and immigrants in overcoming barriers to success. Special Populations Services assists students with disabilities, students who are academically and/or economically disadvantaged, students with limited English proficiency, nontraditional students, and students in correctional facilities.

Student Activities
Student Activities is responsible for providing support and assistance to the five major student organizations throughout the state of Georgia: Delta Epsilon Chi (DEX), National Vocational-Technical Honor Society (NV-THS), Phi Beta Lambda (PBL), Statewide Student Leadership Council (SSLC), and Skills USA-Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA). Leadership training for state officers is conducted each year in August at the FFA/FHA Camp in Covington. Leadership training for state and local officers is held every November at the Fall Leadership Conference. More than 2,000 students participated in student organizations during the year.

GOAL Winner Sabrina D. Stefan

Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership
The Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) is an awards program jointly sponsored by DTAE, Georgia Chamber of Commerce, and FOX 5. For 29 years, the GOAL program has emphasized the importance of technical education in today's world and rewarded students who exemplify excellence in their chosen program of study. Sabrina D. Stefan, the 2000 winner of GOAL, was a student in the Radiologic Technology program at Middle Georgia Technical College. In recognition of her accomplishments, Stefan was presented with the GOAL Medallion and a 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier LS at this year's state activities.

Rick Perkins Award Winnder Ivan H. Allen

The Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction
The Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction recognizes instructors who make significant contributions to technical education through instructional excellence, outstanding leadership qualities, and dedication to the mission of DTAE. The recipient of the 2000 Rick Perkins Award was Ivan H. Allen, instructor of General Studies at Middle Georgia Technical College in Warner Robins. In recognition of his accomplishment, Allen received an award and $1,000.

Education Initiatives
The Office of Technical Education creates and participates in partnerships, collaboratives, and strategic alliances so that a full range of training and education programs is accessible to workers and employers.

Workforce Investment Act of 1998
The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 provides the opportunity to tailor workforce services to fit the diverse needs of Georgia's employers and job seekers. As a member of Georgia's newly appointed Workforce Investment Board and Partner's Council, DTAE is recognized as one of the primary statewide providers of workforce education and development services to thousands of Georgia's citizens. Through the combined local sites of the Georgia Department of Labor and DTAE, the state is creating a seamless workforce development delivery system that will continue to ensure provision of standard, consistent workforce development activities that meet customer needs without duplication of services.

Georgia One Stop
In partnership with the Georgia Department of Labor, technical colleges are creating an electronic infrastructure that will enable Georgians easier access to workforce education and development services. It is envisioned that this approach will help ensure that services reach those most in need of them and will allow Georgia to broaden local partnerships. Currently in development, G1-Georgia One-Stop Career Network-provides Internet connectivity, more Web-based products, and customer self-service capabilities that are important elements of this broadened accessibility.

High School/Technical College Collaboratives
Over the last year, the Office of Technical Education has been engaged in establishing the appropriate infrastructure to support and accurately account for all of the various high school/technical college collaborative programs. The focus has been on identifying processes and procedures that facilitate seamless transitions and establishing an accountability system that accurately captures this movement.

School-to-Work
In 1999 and 2000, 43 School-to-Work business, education, and community partnerships received planning grants totaling more than $2 million in School-to-Work grant dollars. These partnerships have participated in local and regional strategic planning and asset-mapping activities.

In this second year of Georgia's School-to-Work grant, up to $825,000 will be used to increase the number of Georgia Department of Labor Jobs for Georgia Graduates (JGG) sites from 25 to as many as 40 throughout the state.

Tech Prep  As a result of the DOE/DTAE Tech Prep Collaborative, beginning in the 1999-2000 school year, 37 Tech Prep consortia are in place. These consortia consist of a technical college or college with a technical division and the secondary school systems in the postsecondary service area. In FY 00, local consortia received more than $3,000,000 to implement the Tech Prep program, which is designed to improve seamless student transition from high school to postsecondary technical education.

Also in the 1999-2000 school year, the DOE/DTAE Statewide Articulation Tech Prep Agreement was launched and implemented. To date, every technical college has signed the statewide articulation agreement. Therefore, a student who successfully completes a statewide articulated course would receive high school credit and also be able to receive postsecondary credit at any technical college in the state upon validation of the competencies learned in the articulated course.

In 1999, additional opportunities for statewide articulation became available when the DTAE Board adopted a policy that honors, on a statewide basis, all locally developed articulation agreements through reciprocity.

Regulations require that students follow a program of study outlining the secondary and postsecondary courses required for successful program completion. Thus, Tech Prep students have a smooth transition and seamless experience from secondary to postsecondary technical education.

Dual Enrollment and Postsecondary Options
Dual enrollment programs are collaborative initiatives between high schools and postsecondary institutions that enable students to enroll in postsecondary classes and earn Carnegie units of credit that count toward high school graduation requirements and postsecondary credit hours.

This broad classification of secondary student crosses over several program lines {i.e., Tech Prep, Jobs for Georgia Graduates, Youth Apprenticeship, and Postsecondary Options (PSO)}. As of April 2000, FY 99 unduplicated data indicated 3,480 secondary students are participating in these seamless educational opportunities.

In July 1999, the State Board of Education adopted substantial revisions of the PSO programs that helped to make this opportunity more student centered. Also, as a result of HB 1187 and the Governor's Educational Reform Commission, additional work will be conducted on this issue that will positively impact both secondary and postsecondary participation. Importantly, there has been a 74 percent increase in student participation throughout the 1990s, and there continues to be an effort to improve both the secondary and postsecondary data collection processes and the number of students participating.

Central Education Center
The Central Education Center (CEC), a collaborative between the community, Coweta County School System, and West Central Technical College, is a new, innovative educational delivery system that provides postsecondary technical education in a secondary environment. Scheduled to begin operation fall 2000, the student population is expected to grow to more than 1,400 students. CEC is designed to enable secondary students to simultaneously complete secondary and postsecondary technical education credentials. In winter 2000, CEC obtained an additional $7,000,000 to implement the expanded version of the concept, expanding secondary and postsecondary technical education services to the Newnan community.

GAP Project
In its infancy, the GAP project is designed to identify "best practices" that assist students in meeting the criteria for entry into postsecondary education, including technical colleges. A project design team is developing criteria for School-to-Work funding consideration.

Making Academics Count
In fall 1999, East Central Tech hosted the South Georgia Chambers of Commerce, where more than 400 business and industry representatives convened to discuss the implementation of the National Business Alliance - Making Academics Count. Making Academics Count is an effort to encourage business and industry to place value on high school transcripts in their hiring practices.

Postsecondary Readiness Enrichment Program (PREP) PREP is a service to middle and high school students in "at-risk" situations through supplementary academic programs designed to assist the students in completing high school and prepare them for postsecondary education or work. Technical colleges have continued to support this activity through Middle School Visitation Days as well as the recently developed mentor program. In 1999, 28,500 middle school students visited the campuses of postsecondary institutions throughout Georgia. Early Childhood Care and Education During 1999, several new quality initiatives in early childhood care and education emerged at both the federal and state level. These initiatives address the quality of care and protection offered to Georgia's children in early childhood care and education facilities. Of significant importance is the increase of the educational level of professionals working in the childcare industry. DTAE agreed to be the lead agency in the ramp-up of providing educational opportunities for advancement of the educational level of early childhood care and education professionals. By collaboratively working with the Georgia Childcare Council, Quality Assist Inc., Georgia Department of Human Resources, Georgia Early Learning Initiative, Federal Head Start, and Office of School Readiness, the goal of providing statewide coordination of systems for professional advancement in childhood care and education will be achieved. Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice In December 1999, the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and DTAE entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to collaboratively explore the options available to provide incarcerated youth located at DJJ Youth Development Centers with postsecondary technical education programming opportunities. These opportunities not only will provide the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for successful transition from secondary education to postsecondary education and beyond, but also provide youth with access to the job market, serving as a deterrent to delinquent or criminal behavior. To begin this process, four pilot sites have been identified; technical colleges are partnering with local DJJ Youth Development Centers.

Georgia Postsecondary Education Collaborative Council The Georgia Postsecondary Education Collaborative Council (GPECC) was created in 1994 by Commissioner Kenneth H. Breeden, Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education, and Chancellor Stephen Portch, University System of Georgia, to assist them in refining and implementing the Student Centered Collaboration for Public Postsecondary Education in Georgia. As an outgrowth of the work of the Seamless Committee of the Governor's Education Reform Study Commission, GPECC further studied the current practices in the transferability of general education credits from SACS-accredited DTAE schools to University System institutions. Georgia P-16 Initiative The Georgia P-16 Initiative is a statewide effort aimed at raising expectations and ensuring student success from pre-school through postsecondary education. As part of the Georgia P-16 Initiative, the University System of Georgia, DTAE, selected high schools, and representative employers are collaborating in the development and pilot testing of academic and performance standards and assessments of what it takes to succeed in colleges and universities, technical colleges, and the world of work. This program is called Performance Assessment for College and Technical School (PACTS). DTAE has been most involved in Level 14 Standards for Exit and Transfer (Level 14 SET), which is a companion to PACTS. It is a standards-based assessment system designed to assess college student readiness to move from lower to upper division work or to transfer to another institution after completion of the core curriculum and lower-division general education curriculum within the University System, or to enter the workforce. Level 14 Standards should signify the desired learning outcomes of the first two years of general education, expected exit standards for the core curriculum, and readiness to progress to junior and senior level work in college or to enter the workforce.