In approving an application for a charter career academy, the Effingham County school system may be setting a new course for hundreds of students.

The Central Education Center in Newnan is the model for the career academies the state is hoping to establish. It has made a difference not only for Coweta County students but for its businesses too. Part of its curriculum also includes lessons in work ethic. The program was instrumental in getting the county’s largest employer, Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Company, to stay after it mulled relocating.

Ninety-eight percent of the CEC’s graduates go on to either two- or four-year colleges or enter the workforce.

Now, the school system is making plans to provide a similar outlet for its students. It may be coming at just the right time.

The Coastal Empire economy shows no signs of slowing down, meaning there will be job opportunities for young people across the region. That includes Effingham County students.

As the port of Savannah continues to do land office business, Gulfstream forges ahead with expansion plans and the Effingham Industrial Development Authority, getting Effingham students ready for a competitive and fast-paced jobs market will be important.

Getting the charter career academy isn’t guaranteed — Effingham is one of the schools applying to get one of the five such charters the state plans to grant. But Effingham is the only district in Savannah Technical College’s service area that is applying for one of the charters, so its odds are good.

The way the career academy will be set up, there will be input from parents, businesses and the school system, meaning the curriculum can be designed to give the students a leg up on what they need to know once they hit the real world.

Our schools’ mission is to prepare our children for the world ahead of them and the world around them. The career academy looks as though the school system is ahead of the curve in doing just that.