Career Technical Educaton Programs

Work Based Learning

Innovative High School Grant

“Pathways to Success Project” awarded to Gibson County students beginning with the 2021-2022 school year allows students to attend high school through a modified school day at a partnering employer’s facility instead of the traditional classroom setting while also participating in a Career Advisement Program.  The purpose of the “Pathways to Success Project” is to break the mold by reimagining current routines/practices of schooling in order to better prepare students for their futures.  In order to accomplish this purpose, three school districts across the county partnered to form a consortium:  Gibson County Special School District (fiscal agent), Milan Special School District, and Trenton Special School District.  Following the formation of the consortium, members sought out community groups and employers within the county to partner with. 

Our Goal

The vision of the “Pathways to Success Project” is to prepare students for high-skill, high-wage, in-demand occupations by reimagining space, modes of learning, partnerships, and time.

What Makes Us ‘Innovative’

Students chosen to participate in the Innovative High School “Pathways to Success Project” will be provided hands on training in the classrooms with equipment purchased with grant funds.  Forklifts, punch presses, and safety controls are a few items being provided that should aid in the training needed and expenses usually covered by the employer.  Health Science students will be trained on EKG machines, patient lifts, and IV tubing to name a few.  By providing the training in high school, the financial and time burdens our manufacturing and healthcare facilities have endured will be eased, and students from across the county will be able to transition easily into the workplace after graduation–aiding in the employee crisis caused by the Covid-19 Pandemic.

In addition, partners have requested the program provide a “soft skills” course that covers topics such as active listening, speaking, reading comprehension, critical thinking and social perceptiveness.  They have stated students are not coming to employment with these soft skills, so Innovative High School program participants will be subject to a two-week long course curriculum prior to being allowed in their work-based learning job placements.   Students will also be given YouScience career assessments by on staff Career Advisors, and Work Based Learning students will be provided transportation, classroom guidance, and workplace job coaching by staff Work Support Coaches.

TCAT Jackson

Specialized Training for Business and Industry

The State of Tennessee provides a special benefit to the business and industrial communities in the state by offering custom employee trainings through the Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs). Your local TCAT campus will work to develop new, job-specific training courses designed to help your employees develop new skills and upgrade their existing skills.

Why Work With Us?

• Reasonable cost for local businesses and industry.
• Professional staff.
• Flexibility of course offerings.
• We take the work off your hands by taking care of the course planning, registration, evaluation, instructor selection, record keeping, and scheduling.

Our Industrial Training Department can develop training courses in a wide variety of industrial, high-tech, office, and health-care skills.  We’re available to serve major corporations, small businesses, industry, healthcare facilities, professional organizations, and government agencies. Whether your organization is small or large, whether you need technical skills training for maintenance personnel or computer training skills for a few employees, we can do the job for your company.

Gibson County High School CTE

Career Technical Education (CTE) provides students of all ages with the academic and technical skills, knowledge and training necessary to succeed in future careers and to become lifelong learners. In total, about 12.5 million high school and college students are enrolled in CTE across the nation. CTE prepares these learners for the world of work by introducing them to workplace competencies, and makes academic content accessible to students by providing it in a hands-on context. High school graduation rate for CTE concentrators is on average a much higher percentage than the national average.

In fall of 2021, Gibson County Special School District received grant funding for their new industrial maintenance program offered to both South Gibson County High School and Gibson County High School students. The program is housed at Gibson County High School and all courses in the program taught by a TCAT instructor with dual enrollment through TCAT Jackson. Students have access to the program beginning their freshman year, and seniors can leave campus to finish certification programs at TCAT Jackson. Adult classes are also being considered for after school hours. The Gibson County School District used funding to purchase motor control trainers, electric multimeters, electrical controls training system, bugging kit, and various other electrical tools and supplies that are used by local industries, helping to assure students are workforce ready for an easy transition into the industrial maintenance field. As of March (2022) 45 students were enrolled in this program.

Humboldt High School CTE

Tennessee students can earn valued industry credentials that help lead to expanded options for future job placement. The CCTE division continuously assesses and improves the credentials offered to students as well as the standards which guide CTE classroom instruction. Students also benefit from the CCTE’s commitment to improving STEM/STE(A)M programs statewide. In addition, students can engage in robust workbased learning experiences and participation in Career and Technical Education Student Organizations (CTSOs) that help them see the connection between what they learn in school with what they will do in the professional workforce. 

In fall of 2021, Humboldt High School received $100,000 in grant funding to renovate their facility, creating an environment more conducive for training in the vocational trades and technology fields. Funding is also being used to purchase and rebuild training equipment. Beginner students attend on Mondays and Tuesdays, and advanced students on Wednesdays and Thursdays; advanced attend for at least three hours per day. Students taking the vocational classes have been engaged and are doing well. Some come in on their days off and stay in the shop all day, these students are advancing well. Most complete their welding assignments and proceed to work on machining projects, some advance to the CNC mill and are designing and machining parts.

Humboldt High School CTE programs of study includes Agriculture, Engineering, Industrial, and Mechanical Systems; Coding, Criminal Justice and Correction Services, Fashion Design, Horticulture Science, Machining Technology, Therapeutic Services, and Welding. 

Milan High School CTE/Milan Academy

In an increasingly complex global economy, all students must be prepared with intellectual, technical, and social skills needed to compete and contribute meaningfully to their communities. For most, this will mean completing some postsecondary education or training; for all, it will mean learning about themselves and the world of work.

Milan Academy offers students the opportunity to finish their graduation requirements in a flexible environment and participate in work-based learning opportunities for the bulk of the school day.

Work-based learning (WBL) is a proactive approach to bridging the gap between high school and high-demand, high-skill careers in Tennessee. Students build on classroom-based instruction to develop employability skills that prepare them for success in postsecondary education and future careers. Through experiences like internships, apprenticeships, and paid work experience, juniors and seniors (16 years or older) may earn high school credit for capstone WBL experiences. WBL coordinators are educators who are trained and certified by the department to coordinate these WBL experiences for students. Candi Collier, Justin Carr, and Kimberly Hudgins are the work based learning coordinators for Milan High School.

In fall of 2021, Milan High School was awarded grant funding to purchase equipment for their Vo-Tech program. Milan High School has undergone a renovation in the career and technical education building, including the implementation of a state-of-the-art industrial maintenance lab to supplement the existing on-campus TCAT classes. Students as young as freshmen will have access to this program and are able to leave campus their senior year to finish certification programs at TCAT Jackson. Milan High School has purchased the Amatrol Trainer, and new welding equipment to replace older/broken equipment. This trainer is being used weekly in their industrial maintenance program. As of March (2022), 50 students were enrolled in the program.

Trenton Peabody High School CTE

Thanks to the work of Gibson County CTE directors, local industry partners, and Gibson County Schools grant writers, the new “Pathways to Success Project” awarded to Gibson County students beginning with the 2021-2022 school year will allow students to attend high school through a modified school day at a partnering employer’s facility instead of the traditional classroom setting while also participating in a Career Advisement Program.  The purpose of the “Pathways to Success Project” is to break the mold by reimagining current routines/practices of schooling in order to better prepare students for their futures.  In order to accomplish this purpose, three school districts across the county partnered to form a consortium: Gibson County Special School District (fiscal agent), Milan Special School District, and Trenton Special School District.  The vision of the “Pathways to Success Project” is to prepare students for high-skill, high-wage, in-demand occupations by reimagining space, modes of learning, partnerships, and time.

Students chosen to participate in the Innovative High School “Pathways to Success Project” will be provided hands on training in the classrooms with equipment purchased with grant funds.  Forklifts, punch presses, and safety controls are a few items being provided that should aid in the training needed and expenses usually covered by the employer.  Health Science students will be trained on EKG machines, patient lifts, and IV tubing to name a few.  

In 2021, Trenton Peabody High School received grant funding to purchase equipment for CTE classes: STEM I, II, and III, Engineering Design I, II, and Engineering Practicum. The equipment purchased includes a PLC training package to bring students up-to-speed on PLC controls and allows them to create their own programs. Many students in the vocational trade classes learn by doing, so high emphasis is placed on building job skills through the hands-on process. The tools obtained through this funding will help students learn the engineering maintenance, service, and technical fields. A tabletop hands-on automation and motor controls training panel system will teach students to troubleshoot. Welding helmets and a multi-process welder with auto-line and supplies were also purchased to enhance skills in welding.