Transatlantic Talent Pipeline
STEM. DUAL EDUCATION. GLOBAL EXCHANGE.

TFC logo © GAPP

Transatlantic Career Connections (TCC) is a two-year pilot program (2025–2026) designed by GAPP and primarily funded by the Halle Foundation. Centered on STEM education, dual training, and global exchange, TCC builds a forward-looking talent pipeline that connects young people from the U.S. and Germany at the intersection of education and industry.

The pilot at a glance

Bilateral, two-week in-person exchanges in both directions—U.S. to Germany (Georgia to North-Rhine Westfalia) and Germany to the U.S. —held in Year 1 and Year 2.

Full immersion through language preparation, school attendance, host family living, and active participation in the host country’s cultural and social life.

In Year 1, bilateral youth teams, supported by university researchers, collaborate with transatlantic companies to solve real-world automation challenges.

In Year 2, fellows partner with German vocational schools (Berufsschulen) to gain deeper insight into Germany’s dual education model—laying the groundwork for future careers in the transatlantic space.

This project strengthens youth mobility by building a model pipeline between education and industry that introduces U.S. high school students step by step to the German dual education system and the alternative educational pathways it offers.

Combining bilateral virtual and in-person exchanges, on-the training shadowing, and collaborative STEM projects, the program equips students on both sides of the Atlantic with the skills they need for early career development.

Students from the Central Educational Center in Newnan, Georgia, are introduced to Germany's renowned dual education system, which pairs academic instruction with practical apprenticeship experience. Participants from both countries acquire advanced technical skills while gaining cultural and linguistic immersion. Exposure to unfamiliar educational and professional environments sharpens their problem-solving, communication, and collaboration abilities, the core competencies that future careers demand.

In the first year, a bilateral cohort of 60 students, supported by their teachers and guided by a research team from the University of Cologne under Dr. Gero Stoffels, works together on hands-on STEM projects addressing real-world automation challenges. These challenges are developed in collaboration with REMA Group, a global leader in EV charging connectors and advanced electronic interfaces with operations in Germany, China, and the United States.

In the second year, selected students from Georgia are paired with Berufliche Schule 1 in Nuremberg, vocational school in Atlanta's sister city of Nuremberg, for an in-depth experience of the dual education system in practice. This bilateral cohort comprises 30 students in total, accompanied by four CTE teachers from both countries.

Over the course of two years, CEC- Transatlantic Career Fellows will:
✔️ Participate in language and cultural immersion programs
✔️ Partner with vocational schools in Germany for specialized career and technical training in Year 2, gaining first-hand experience of Germany’s dual education system
✔️ Build a strong foundation for future career pathways in the transatlantic apprenticeship and job market.

Why Georgia: a hub for German industry in the United States

Germany is one of Georgia's top investor nations. An estimated 650 German-owned facilities support roughly 42,000 jobs across the state, German companies have invested more than $3.9 billion in Georgia since 2010, and Germany ranks as the state's fourth largest trading partner, with bilateral trade exceeding $12.8 billion in 2023. Georgia has maintained continuous representation in Europe since 1973, and Atlanta is home to the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern U.S. (GACC South), which was instrumental in bringing the German dual-training model to the United States. This dense network of German employers and institutions creates the conditions for workforce partnerships modeled on German vocational education.

Why a College and Career Academy: Georgia's Statewide Model for Career-Connected Learning

Established by legislation in 2007, Georgia College and Career Academies (GCCAs) are specialized schools, operating either as charter schools or as programs within districts, that connect high school students directly to the regional workforce through partnerships with local businesses and postsecondary institutions. Fifty-eight academies currently serve about 47,000 students. Each academy aligns its focus with local industry needs, such as advanced manufacturing, healthcare, or technology, and combines dual enrollment, industry certifications, and work-based learning in proportions suited to its region. Charter flexibility allows academies to hire industry professionals as instructors and to customize curricula. GCCAs also served as the testing ground for Georgia's Accelerated Career Diploma, which allows students to graduate after two years of core academic coursework if they also complete an associate degree, a technical diploma, or two technical certificates, with tuition covered through state dual enrollment aid.

Why the Central Educational Center: the Origin of the Model

The Central Educational Center (CEC) in Coweta County was launched in 1997 after local employers reported that graduates were not prepared for the Atlanta-area labor market. CEC partners with West Georgia Technical College and more than 300 businesses in fields including aviation, healthcare, manufacturing, and robotics. Its early success prompted state-funded replication in three districts between 2003 and 2006, which laid the groundwork for the statewide GCCA legislation. CEC is, in effect, the prototype for the entire system.
CEC has continued to lead. In 2015 it introduced an Accelerated Career Diploma in manufacturing engineering technology and, in partnership with GACC South, launched the first German-certified apprenticeship program in the United States, beginning at age 15. Today CEC enrolls about 21 percent of Coweta County's high school students, and roughly half of the county's graduates have completed CEC coursework.

Centering our own pilot at CEC therefore places it at the institution with the longest track record in the state, an existing German-certified apprenticeship infrastructure, and direct influence on 57 other academies that could adopt what the pilot produces.

For background on Georgia's College and Career Academies, see this excerpt from Accelerate ED (Education Strategy Group, May 2025).

Catalyzing Innovation- Transforming High Schools Statewide by Scaling Up College and Career Readiness High School Models (PDF, 56 KB)

In the U.S., participating students are enrolled at the Central Educational Center (CEC) in Georgia. They are selected from the pathways of Mechatronic, Cybersecurity and Fintech.

In the first year, these 30 students are paired with peers from Marienschule in Euskirchen and St. Joseph’s Gymnasium in Rheinbach, both located in North Rhine-Westphalia.

In the second year, 15 selected students are paired one-to-one with 15 vocational training students from Berufliche Schule 1, a vocational school in Atlanta's sister city of Nuremberg. Through reciprocal two-week visits, the partners attend classes together, shadow one another at their training companies, and work side by side on a joint project, giving the Georgia students a direct, personal experience of the dual education system and their German counterparts insight into career and technical education in the United States. This bilateral cohort comprises 30 students in total, accompanied by four CTE teachers.

This pilot fuses GAPP’s 50+ years of exchange experience with the innovative Central Education Center Model—emphasizing work-based learning through partnerships with local industry, Coweta County schools (East Coweta High School, Newnan High School, Northgate High School) and West Georgia Technical College.

By targeting students around the age of 16, the project fosters early curiosity and ambition, empowering them to make informed decisions about their futures. Our project emphasizes hands-on experiences and exposure to diverse career opportunities in international settings. At the Central Education Center (CEC), a public charter school in the Coweta County school system, approximately 62% of feeder high schools are Title I schools, and about 45% of enrolled students face economic disadvantages, making international travel and cultural exchanges difficult to access. This project offers these students a unique opportunity to experience life beyond their immediate environments, promoting personal growth, confidence, and empowerment.

By the project's conclusion in 2026, participants will have developed essential linguistic skills and global competencies, positioning them for professional opportunities with companies in the transatlantic space. The CEC has established strong relationships with the GACC South and various German companies. By leveraging this network, we believe the planned conferences and networking events will further support students in continuing and expanding their professional journeys with German businesses in Georgia.

March 2025
Selection of First Cohort of Georgia Students
Format: In-Person and Virtual, Central Education Center, Newnan, GA Key stakeholders—including students, teachers, and parents—are introduced to the project. 30 students from the CEC in the pathways of Mechatronics, Fintech, and Cybersecurity are selected.

April - May 2025
Introduction to Germany
Format: Virtual, GAPP U.S. teachers from the Central Education Center engage virtually with their German counterparts from Marienschule, Euskirchen and St. Joseph's Gymnasium, Reinbach, for orientation and student matching. The selected US- students receive an introduction to German culture and daily life.

June 2025
Kick-off for Authentic STEM Project
Format: Virtual, University of Cologne, REMA Group, GAPP
60 U.S. and German students, along with their teachers, participate in a collaborative kick-off event to plan AUTHENTIC STEM project in Mechatronics, Fintech, and Cybersecurity

June-July 2025– Georgia Students Travel to Germany
Format: In-Person, University of Cologne Team
30 U.S. students and teachers spend two weeks in Germany, staying with host families and attending school while working on STEM projects with REMA Group, a global leader in EV charging connectors and advanced electronic interfaces, with operations in Germany, the U.S. and China

July 2025
Reception at the North Rhine-Westphalia State Parliament in Düsseldorf (NRW)
Format: In-person event with 60 students, eight teachers, and program partners
The reception honors the commitment and collaboration of U.S. and German students and educators. It also highlights the strong transatlantic ties between Germany—particularly the state of North Rhine-Westphalia—and the United States, which continue to thrive through youth exchange, educational cooperation, and shared values.

September 2025- October 2025
Selection of Second Cohort of Fellows
Format: In-Person/Virtual
The 2026 cohort and teachers is selected to build upon the skills developed in 2025

September-November 2025
Language Course (A1.1 Level)
Format: Virtual, Goethe-Institut
A 10-week German language course prepares the second cohort of U.S. students for their exchange, focusing on basic communication skills.

October 2025
30 German Students from Marienschule Euskirchen and St. Joseph's Gymnasium, Rheinbach Visit the U.S.
Format: In-Person 30 German students stay with host families, attend CEC, the base high school of their partner student, as well as college (West Georgia Tech), and engage in job shadowing.

October 2025
Work Based Learning Careers Conference
Format: In-Person, Joachim Herz Stiftung Non-Profit Learning Center, Covington, GA
Conference discusses the European apprenticeship model, featuring industry leaders and speakers from both countries.

January - March 2026
Advanced Language Course (A1.2 Level)
Format: Virtual, Goethe-Institut
The second cohort continues language training with a focus on vocational terminology

March 2026
Vocational School Matching
Format: Virtual. Students are matched with German vocational schools in preparation for their exchange

June 2026 – U.S. Students’ Vocational Exchange to Germany
Format: In-Person. 15 Georgia students and their teacher spend two weeks in Nuremberg, Germany, at Berufliche Schule 1, attending vocational classes and shadowing apprentices at German training companies.

September-November 2026
Advanced Vocational Language Course (A.2.1. Level)
Format: Virtual, Goethe-Institut The second cohort continues with vocationally-focused language training.

October 2026
Students from Germany visit the U.S.
Format: In-Person. 15 vocational students from Berufliche Schule 1 stay with host families in Georgia, shadow classes at the Central Educational Center, and visit German companies in the region.

October 2026 – Graduation Ceremony and Networking Event, Halle Foundation
Format: In-Person
This event recognizes achievements and fosters connections among industry leaders, educational representatives, and family members.

TCC Year 1 (2025) in Pictures

Duesseldorf Parliament © GAPP © GAPP

Transatlantic Career Connections Highlights

Congratulations to REMA Gruppe, the company our fellows partnered with in 2025 on winning second prize at the German National SCHULEWIRTSCHAFT competition. Read about the competition and the award here.

Transatlantic Career Connections is featured in the Halle Foundation Magazine's article From Classroom to Career (issue Winter 2026). Read the magazine and article here.

TCC Fellows Ethan Bass, Mihaella Geshev, Hampton Royer and Carter Apple from Newnan, GA won a National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) Southeast Regional Student Production Award (Emmy Award) in the Non- Fiction Longform Category for their short film CEC visits Germany.

TCC Year 2 (2026) in Pictures

Announcements

After a successful outbound exchange in June 2026, which brought TCC fellows to Nuremberg as exchange partners of Berufliche Schule 1, our pilot project is entering its final phase: in October, the CEC will host the Nuremberg group in Georgia for the return visit, a two-week stay.

In collaboration with the Goethe-Institut's German Online Language Department (GOLD), we have also launched a German language course at the CEC, offered during regular school hours and fully integrated into its work-based curriculum.

On October 30, 2026, we will celebrate our fellows at a graduation ceremony at the Halle Foundation. If you are part of the transatlantic community in the Atlanta area and would like an invitation, simply get in touch.

Funders and Partners

Funders and Partners @GAPP

Contact

Ajkuna Hoppe
Executive Director
German American Partnership Program (GAPP)
c/o Goethe-Institut New York
gapp@goethe.de

Transatlantic Talent Pipeline STEM. DUAL EDUCATION. GLOBAL EXCHANGE.

The pilot at a glance

About the Transatlantic Career Connection Pilot

Why Georgia?

Who are the Transatlantic Career Fellows?

Project Timeline

Transatlantic Career Connections Highlights

Announcements

Funders and Partners

Contact

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Transatlantic Talent Pipeline
STEM. DUAL EDUCATION. GLOBAL EXCHANGE.