Last year the Cobb County Performance Learning Center (PLC) received the Outstanding Partners in Education Program award from their local board of education. Currently they have more than 11 business partners who continue to make donations and help them develop programs and activities. Their recent partnership with the International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters helped to create the Youth Empowerment Program. It allows juniors and seniors to enroll in the new Firefighter/EMT Program through dual enrollment with Chattahoochee Technical College. Students earn college credit, learn the necessary skills needed to be gainfully employed and become certified at the completion of the two-year program. Trained firefighters and EMT personnel conduct the classes, act as mentors to the PLC students, and help students obtain entry level positions.