Did You Know? Over 25 years years of supporting Health Science Education & Future Workforce!
Impacting High School Health Science Programs
Since the program launched in 1999, the Health Science Industry Certification program has been utilized in over 80 high schools in over 40 counties throughout Georgia. HomeTown has contracted with the Georgia Department of Education for the tenure of this program providing program leadership, design, revision and availability.
The Purpose
The Georgia Department of Education is committed to the industry certification process as a part of its effort to strengthen technical and academic standards for all Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) programs.
The Industry Certification program is designed to showcase the health science programs in high schools across the state as producing 'industry ready' students upon graduation. The Industry Certification is a rigorous undertaking for CTAE progams and health science instructors requiring the completion of training,participation in multiple workshops, the declaration of standards for evaluation in programs of study, the submission of supporting documentation and evidence, interviews with students and counselors, as well as an evaluation visit. The program is designed to allow for the showcase of health science program excellence in the classroom and in student activities linked to the classroom.
Programs that have successfully undergone rigorous reviews by leaders from business and industry are recognized with this distinction after completion of a successful evaluation year.
HomeTown's Role
HomeTown provides access to online education to support instructors and students. Students have the opportunity to take industry-level education courses which help bolster their resumes and portfolios and enable them to participate in on-sites and internships. Instructors gain access to online education with options to custom curate the online learning experience to support their standards and classroom goals.
In the 2024-2025 school year, high school students in 15 high schools had over 2000 course completions - many of those completions being in HIPAA, Infection Control and Medical Terminology.
HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?
Many health science programs look for healthcare professionals to serve on their advisory committees. Please be sure to reach out to your local healthcare science instructors and CTAE directors to see if you can serve to support these high school programs through being on their advisory committee.
Many health science programs are looking for locations for students to job shadow, intern or do other site-based experiences for students while they are still in high school or immediately following graduation. Please be sure to reach out to your local healthcare science instructors and CTAE directors to see how your organization can support the next generation of workers.