State and local officials will cut a ribbon Tuesday to officially open the new $9.5 million College and Career Institute (CCI) Building on the Douglasville campus of West Georgia Technical College (WGTC).

CCI is a charter high school offering dual high school and college credit through a partnership of WGTC, Douglas County School System and business and industry, represented by the Douglas County Chamber of Commerce.

The 11 a.m. ceremony will be held in front of the new CCI Building, 4600 Timber Ridge Drive, Douglasville. Keynote speakers will be Georgia Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and State Rep. Bill Hembree (R-Winston).

Others presenting remarks will include Dr. Skip Sullivan, WGTC president; Ron Jackson, commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia; Don Remillard, superintendent of Douglas County School System; Janice Thompson, past chair of WGTC board of directors; Ed Murray, past chair, and Jimmy Bartlett, present chair, of Douglas County School System Board of Education; Kali Boatright, president, Douglas County Chamber of Commerce; and Julian Carter, CEO of CCI.

CCI currently has about 160 students enrolled and has been holding classes in the regular WGTC classroom buildings since high school classes began Aug. 6.

The CCI Building was constructed with $4.5 million from Douglas County School System and $5 million from Technical College System of Georgia. An additional $1.6 million was allocated to WGTC for equipment and $1.2 million from Douglas County School System for Phase 2 career academy expansion.

Carter came to his CEO position from the business community, a requirement of the CCI program. Mandy Johnson, county director of high school programs, is in charge of academic programs.

“We want to have the most modern equipment we can put our hands on,” Carter told a July 10 meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Douglas County. “Our students need to train on the kind of equipment they will find in the work world.”

Carter said CCI students will not only learn vocational training, but will be taught work ethics, including attendance, tardiness, character, teamwork, appearance, attitude, cooperation and respect.

CCI academic programs will include