STATESBORO, Ga. — On Wednesday, a diverse group of educators, students, and local business representatives convened at Ogeechee Technical College’s Statesboro campus for the fifth annual Career Workforce Summit.

For the past five years, Bulloch County Schools have organized this event to celebrate the achievements and advancements within the school system’s career technical and agricultural education (CTAE) programs.

“These are our career-focused elective courses that significantly benefit both our students and the community,” stated Bethany Gilliam, director of CTAE at Bulloch County Schools. “They offer students a glimpse into potential career paths, helping them discover their interests or realize what might not be suitable for them. We strive to replicate real-world environments and, in many cases, provide students with opportunities to engage in actual work settings.”

Gilliam emphasized the importance of CTAE, noting, “It’s incredibly beneficial for students, equipping them to explore various options, and equally advantageous for our community, as it ensures students leave with a competitive edge.”

Recent figures from the school system indicate that in the previous year, 1,491 students enrolled in at least one CTAE course.

The summit was started in 2021 and coincided with the creation of a systemwide plan for the future.

“We like to do this to really hold ourselves accountable,” she said. “About five years ago, we launched our first-ever career workforce development plan, and as a part of that, we started every year coming back together as a group and inviting the community to report out on what we’ve done and where we’re going next. We want this document to be a living, breathing piece of work.”

The summit also includes recognitions of students who have competed and won honors through various school club organizations that have CTAE ties, such as Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and Family, Career, Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), as well as award-winning teachers.

2025 was a successful year for Bulloch County.

“We were so excited to have over 25 students qualify at the national or international level for competition, which is the most we’ve ever had,” Gilliam said. “We also, for the first time, had a representative from all three high schools and one middle school compete at the national level.”

See below for a list of winners:

This past year also marked the launch of the 2026-2030 workforce development plan, which started in July 2025.

Gilliam marked some of the accomplishments the school system has completed in the short window.

“We’ve launched our Career Ready Bulloch social media pages,” she said. We have created a hiring under 18 one-pager to help employers understand what they can and cannot do with students who are under 18 whom they might employ through our work-based learning program. We’ve launched a work-ready certification. We have done many various things throughout the year, but those are some of the highlights of things we’ve accomplished.” 

Gilliam also thanked the community support.

“We are blessed here in Bulloch County to have wonderful industry partners who engage with us regularly.”