Students at Jackson County High School will attend class in a new building beginning Friday, but changes are also underway at the school’s previous building in Jefferson, which has been converted to the Empower College and Career Center.
Empower, also called EC3, is a part of Georgia’s college and career academy network, a network of educational institutions across the state that focuses on giving high school students the skills needed for the global market.
John Uesseler, chief executive officer of EC3, said plans to establish EC3 in Jackson County have been in the works for about eight years.
“The community started coming together and talking about what they needed to do for workforce development and preparing our young people for the jobs that were there,” Uesseler said. “On Friday the 30th, after this long dream, we’ll have our first students walking through the door.”
Unlike a traditional school, EC3 offers specialized high school classes and programs. For example, Uessler said one program focuses on advanced manufacturing, which allows students to learn skills related to automated manufacturing, programmable logic controls, electrical systems and more.
Aside from this, EC3 also offers a variety of different health care programs, where students can get hands-on experience with general medicine, surgical tech, emergency medicine, sports medicine, pharmacy and more. There are many other programs and fields that EC3 offers, aside from those mentioned here.
For now, students at Jackson County High School, East Jackson Comprehensive High School, Commerce High School and Foothills Charter High School are able to take classes at EC3 as part of their high school curriculum. Transportation is also provided to get students to and from EC3 and their respective schools.
However, Uesseler said the goal is to get other age groups involved, thanks in part to EC3’s partnerships with Lanier Technical College and the University of North Georgia.
“We hope at some time, they’re also offering true degree programs, core academics here for traditional college students in the evening time also,” Uesseler said.
In the meantime, high school students can earn dual enrollment credit at EC3 for specific classes. Uesseler said Lanier Tech and UNG are both sending professors to EC3 for this purpose.
“We’re breaking down all barriers so that we’re available for all students of all ability levels and desires,” Uesseler said.
While these specialized classes are the main educational focus at EC3, students will also get the chance to learn common life skills that are useful for everyone.
“We’ve got 30 minutes built into every day, especially for our all-day students … that we’re going to teach life skills,” Uesseler said. “Teach them about taxes, teach them about filling out W-9s, how do you change a tire on your car … those basic life skills.”
Uesseler said EC3 is able to offer these specialized courses and learning experiences in part because of partnerships with regional businesses.
“We’ve got some great partners, Kubota, SK Battery, Jackson EMC has been a great partner,” Uesseler said. “Our newest partnership is with Piedmont Athens … they’ve just made a commitment of $75,000 of cash to put into the health learning space for equipment, supplies and materials.”
To learn about the Empower College and Career Center, visit their website. Several images of the newly renovated building are also available in the above photo gallery.
