APS High Schoolers Can Travel the Globe and Expand their College and Career Skills with France Foreign Exchange Program

In its second year, students from Atlanta Public Schools and their French counterparts will participate in a College and Career Exchange Enrichment Program.  Interested students are invited to apply for the unique experience.  Qualifying APS students will travel to France May 19 – June 9, 2017.

Designed to strengthen technical education and training, the exchange program provides hands-on experience, exposure and cultural awareness to students and teachers through an international experience.

“We are so excited to be able to offer the French exchange program again for our students,” said Dr. Michael Maze, director of CTAE. “This program will prepare our students to compete and succeed in a global workforce by giving them an opportunity to engage with international businesses and technical instructors, while experiencing training in a career pathway.”

The goal is educate students to be “well-rounded individuals who possess the necessary academic and technical skills and knowledge” to succeed in the 21st Century workplace.

The shared educational focus of the partnership provides the following benefits to students:

• Provide international educational experiences for students and teachers in the technical subject areas
• Expose students to international workforce trends in France and America
• Build cultural awareness in the areas of language acquisition, fine arts and economics
• Increase collaboration and develop relationships between professional institutions
• Provide international apprenticeship and internship opportunities to students
• Support cooperative learning projects between partnering regions

The program was officially launched last year with the arrival of ten French students, who were welcomed by APS for a month. The French students were placed in host families and assigned internships with local businesses according to their technical training. Eight APS students from Grady, Douglass, Therrell and North Atlanta High Schools were selected to participate in the same program this June.  APS students were welcomed by French host families and businesses around Metro Toulouse, France, and attended different high schools during their stay, according to their professional interests.

Learn more about this educational experience on the CTAE website.

For additional information contact:

Dr. Michael Maze, Director

Career, Technical & Agricultural Education (CTAE)

Tel: (404) 802-5979 | mmaze@atlanta.k12.ga.us