Grady County is creating an apprenticeship program with Koyo Bearings, a ball bearing and roller bearing manufacturing plant in Cairo, Ga., to better prepare local graduates for jobs with the company. Classroom components for the program will be delivered at the Cairo High School College & Career Academy and Southern Regional Technical College. This new program will complement other pathways, such as mechatronics, already available in the county. The eight students now nearing completion of the mechatronics will be offered job-shadowing opportunities at Koyo. The top performers from that group will be eligible for a more in-depth apprenticeship program during the 2017-18 academic year. The Grady County Archway Partnership identified Education for a Quality Workforce as a priority. Stakeholders will meet this month to select courses for the new program, which will lead to a specialized Technical Certificate of Credit.
