News release, Oct. 17, 2006

Georgia

Department of Labor

NEWS RELEASE

SUITE 642



(404) 232-3685

148 INTERNATIONAL BOULEVARD, N.E.



ATLANTA, GA 30303-1751



FAX (404) 657-9996

Communications@dol.state.ga.us

Michael Thurmond
Commissioner

Sam Hall
Director of Communications

Oct. 17, 2006............................................................FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
State Labor Department Program Dramatically Improves High School Graduation Rates
ATLANTA State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond said today that participants in the Georgia Department of Labor's Jobs for Georgia Graduates (JGG) program have a high school graduation rate 18 percent higher than the statewide average of 71 percent for Georgia's public schools.
"One of the most difficult problems facing Georgia's workforce is the state's excessive dropout rate among high school students," Commissioner Thurmond said. "A promising solution to this problem is our Jobs for Georgia Graduates (JGG) program. This program has demonstrated remarkable success in improving the high school graduation rates of participating students."
During the 2004-2005 school year, 1,073 students were enrolled in the JGG program from 35 high schools throughout Georgia. According to JGG statistics, 960 or 89.5 percent of the seniors participating in the program successfully completed graduation requirements.
Jobs for Georgia Graduates utilizes school-based specialists who assist students with career guidance, work skills, motivational activities and job development. Graduating seniors receive follow-up services to encourage successful transition from high school to post-secondary education, training and work opportunities.
"My life had no direction before joining the Jobs for Georgia Graduates program," said Nicole Brown Stuart, a JGG graduate of Chattooga County High School in northwest Georgia. "I did not have any idea what I wanted to do with my life and no real desire to even finish high school. Thanks to JGG, I graduated high school in 2006 and discovered a career that I love. I'm a fulltime Certified Nursing Assistant at a local nursing home. I'm enrolled at Northwestern Technical College for the fall semester to pursue a career in nursing. Thanks to JGG, my life is now on track!"
Commissioner Thurmond pointed out that the JGG graduation statistics are especially significant in light of the fact that Georgia has maintained one of the lowest high school graduation rates in the country. (In a recent survey by Georgia Kids Count, Georgia ranked 48th in the nation.)
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JGG PROGRAM--last add
Since its inception in 1980, JGG has served more than 10,000 students. Students with academic and personal barriers are often recruited for enrollment in JGG. Barriers may include low grade point average (GPA), high absenteeism, first generation graduates and students on the verge of dropping out of high school.
In 2000, Commissioner Thurmond recognized the need for early career counseling and vocational guidance and expanded the traditional senior-only curriculum to a five-year program, beginning in the ninth grade. Currently, there are 23 senior-only programs and 12 multi-year programs operating in 27 local school districts.
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