Macon Magazine

of the quality of its programs and its avid students, but also because of the buy-in from the community. "All of our pathways and programs are designed to provide a workforce for the Central Georgia community," said Miller-Washington. HCCA depends on partners in the community to provide feedback, support and future employment for its students. "Additionally, Vonnie Angelo, the Bibb County work-based learning and youth apprenticeship coordinator, is responsible for recruiting students for our programs and training students in basic employment skills, preparing them for employment opportunities in the future," she said. ere have been countless success stories at Hutchings over the last five years. Hicks reported that the nursing program has had a five-year, 100-percent pass rate on the CAN certification exams. e culinary program opened e Compass Rose Café, featuring four-course, five- star meals to the public every Friday. During the pandemic – when use of the café was restricted – the culinary program created a meal kit service so patrons could purchase meals to take home, complete with fresh ingredients and detailed instructions. "e culinary program also has a very successful catering business, providing refreshments for large meetings inside and outside our building," Hicks said. Wish Printing is run by the graphics program and serves as a print shop for the Bibb County Board of Education and many other outside organizations. "Our programs have provided hundreds of employable, stackable credentials, including TCC pathway completion certifications from Central Georgia Technical College and others that prepare students for future employment opportunities," Hicks said. Former HCCA student Brooklyn omas is another example of HCCA's student success. Employed as a graphic designer at Macon- Middle Georgia Black Pages, a marketing company, omas was hired the very day of her high school graduation. "After studying in the graphic design pathway at Hutchings, my employability was tremendous," she said. "Now, I get to work doing something I love. I design outgoing flyers, business cards and banners, and perform the layout and design of my company's annual publication. "HCCA prepared me for this job by teaching me the core skills of graphic design. My teachers taught me to use various applications efficiently, and encouraged us as students to go beyond the basics and experiment on our own. Our skills were challenged; they really brought out our creativity." Pathways into the future According to Lori Ward-Rodgers, assistant superintendent of district effectiveness and federal programs, Hutchings has grown beyond its initial conception to add many new pathways each year. "Hutchings strives to work with business partners throughout the community to adapt and add these pathways and to train the workforce needed for our community," she said. At the request of Perdue, for instance, an Instructional Systems Technology pathway was added to train workers for the company's manufacturing machines. "I worked with Hutchings Career Academy and CGTC to help develop a career pathway for individuals interested in learning technical skills," said Jon Heard, senior industrial engineer at Perdue. "e skills these young minds learn are important in manufacturing and in Perdue. I feel this program has been a great success for all parties and we will continue to see it grow in the future. As manufacturing continues to evolve, we need a pipeline of talented workforce to help operate and maintain the equipment today, tomorrow and in the future." New pathways will begin next year to train future workers for companies such as GEICO, Coca-Cola and the Bibb County Fire Department. "HCCA also has increased its reach by accepting students from Monroe County and is looking to expand throughout the Middle Georgia area and into the private schools as well," Ward-Rodgers said. Even with so much ground gained over the last several years, Hutchings is poised for expansion. "We hope that Hutchings will continue to grow and evolve to be the leading career academy throughout not only Georgia, but in the Southeast as well," Miller-Washington said. "We will continually strive to work with businesses throughout our community and keep growing our pathways to provide a 21st century workforce and meet the demand to help businesses grow. is will not only benefit the future of all our students by providing them a job with tremendous benefits and pay, but also help to grow our local business base." APRIL/MAY 2021 | maconmagazine.com 123

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