FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 10, 2008
Contact Executive Director of Communications Mike Light, (404) 327-6913
West Central Technical College contact, Ben Chambers, (770) 537-5756
IT’S THE TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM OF GEORGIA!
Governor Sonny Perdue signs legislation renaming the state’s Department of Technical and Adult Education as the Technical College System of Georgia. Alongside Perdue are state TCSG board chair Carl Swearingen and TCSG commissioner Ron Jackson.
ATLANTA – It used to be said that Georgia’s system of 33 technical colleges, the exciting programs they offer, and the great career opportunities that they create was one of the state’s “best-kept secrets.”
But not any more.
With a stroke of his pen, Governor Sonny Perdue has signed into law legislation that changes the state technical college system’s official name from the old Department of Technical and Adult Education to the new Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG).
Though he officially signed the TCSG legislation on May 13, the Governor made a special trip to the system’s technical college student of the year award at the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta for a ceremonial signing of the bill. He made his comments before an enthusiastic crowd of system officials, college administrators, students and guests.
“Georgia’s technical colleges play a vital role not only in educating our citizens, but also in recruiting new industries through our top-ranked Quick Start training program,” Perdue said. “Through significant investments in our communities across the state, Georgia has developed a technical college system that is the envy of the nation.”
TCSG Commissioner Ron Jackson told the audience that the renaming of the system could not have come at a better time. “There’s an exciting transformation going on right now where more and more students are seeing technical college as their first choice for the kind of education that leads to great jobs and fantastic careers,” Jackson said.
Jackson noted that business and industry must stay competitive in today’s global economy, and they’re looking to the technical colleges for the skilled employees they need.
“Demand is growing for the kind of graduates that technical colleges produce in critically important fields like healthcare, aerospace and life sciences, and the same is true for jobs ranging from culinary arts to electronics,” Jackson said. “We’re redefining technical education for the 21st Century, and Technical College System of Georgia speaks of the strengths and tremendous opportunities available within our family of colleges.”
Locally, the legislation affects over 10,000 students who enroll at West Central Technical College each year.
“We are extremely pleased with the name change because it more accurately reflects the reality of our system,” West Central Technical College President Dr. Skip Sullivan said. “We are a system of 33 technical colleges. People can understand that. ‘DTAE’ as a name didn’t tell people what we do.”
Last year, more than 145,000 students enrolled in Georgia’s 33 technical colleges, including 10,000 total students at WCTC. Those students took advantage of the colleges’ affordable tuition, small classes, hands-on experience and highly focused instruction in more than 600 certificate, diploma and degree programs. West Central offers over 90 programs.
“Many TCSG students have jobs waiting for them even before they graduate,” Sullivan said. TCSG figures show that of the 27,000 TCSG graduates in 2007, almost 98 percent are today either employed or continuing their education.
For WCTC, last year’s placement rate was 98.9 percent. “It doesn’t get much better than that,” Sullivan said.
The TCSG oversees two additional programs that are important to the Georgia’s future prosperity – the internationally acclaimed Quick Start program and the state’s adult education and GED programs.
Last year, Quick Start provided customized training free-of-charge to almost 46,000 employees of new, expanding and existing businesses in Georgia. Quick Start has enabled Georgia to rank number one in work force training programs in Expansion Management magazine’s annual survey of business and industry site selection professionals.
The TCSG’s Office of Adult Education provides education services for thousands of Georgians and has enabled 132,000 men and women to earn their GEDs since 2000. It also sponsors the state’s English as a Second Language program.
Locally, WCTC is the designated state provider of adult education, GED preparation and GED testing. In 2007, 2,701 adults enrolled in free classes through WCTC’s Adult Education program. GED tests were administered to about 1,200 people and 849 received their GED diplomas.
West Central Technical College, with campuses in Carroll, Coweta, Douglas and Haralson counties, offers over 90 associate degree, diploma and technical certificate programs of study. A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, West Central last year served over 10,000 students including credit enrollment, adult education, ESL classes, continuing education and corporate training.
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