Officials representing nearly 30 school systems from Georgia and Alabama, as well as business and industry professionals and government leaders, will be coming to Rome this week to learn about the Floyd County College and Career Academy.

Between 150 and 170 people are already registered for the two-day College and Career Academy Summit, which begins Thursday. College and Career Academy CEO Frank Pinson said the summit is geared toward school systems that are interested in creating the same sort of institution that Floyd County Schools has already had so much success with.

The academy is successful, he said, because it prepares students not only for college, but for careers, and it does this through relationships with area business and industry leaders. Those partnerships, he said, require commitment from people outside of the education arena.

“The foundation of that partnership is education and business working together,” said Pinson.

The summit will include morning general sessions focused on business and their needs for a viable workforce, and an opportunity to hear from Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, Alabama Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey and other Georgia education leaders.

Afternoon breakout sessions will focus on successful business and education partnerships, student successes in dual enrollment programs, Ford Next Generation of Learning, and many other model programs and activities that can be replicated across Georgia and Alabama.

Other special guests include Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Ron Jackson and members of the Alabama Career Academy Community.

A roundtable discussion on Thursday is scheduled to include Cagle, Ivey, Rep. Katie Dempsey, Georgia Northwestern Technical College President Craig McDaniel, Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Al Hodge, Georgia Power Vice President Anne Kaiser and Floyd Medical Center President and CEO Kurt Stuenkel, among others.