(Editor’s note: the following is from a veteran of technical college education. He retired as president of Coastal Pines Technical College in Jesup, Ga. –eeb)
By Dr. Paul Scott
JESUP, Ga. | Today’s dynamic workplace forces two special requirements on the career-focused student. The first and most important of these is the need to “learn how to learn.” This is brought about by rapid changes in technology and the tools used as a result of that technology.
Scott
The most conspicuous example of the impact of a new tool is the surgeon’s robot. Another example includes the auto mechanic’s hand-held diagnostic computer. Many automobiles now have chemically based composite bodies instead of the sheet metal of the past, meaning you can no longer bump and ding with a hammer to repair a dented fender.
The ultimate must-have component in modern career and technical education universe is the technical college. Today, it is common knowledge that the future jobs will require post-secondary (but less than a four-year degree) preparation for entry. The technical colleges of Georgia have uniquely evolved to fill that niche. They are not an alternative to the four-year academic college/university. They have their own unique role.
The technical colleges are first and foremost a part of the community economic engine. Their job is to upgrade the area workforce by providing:
- Associate degrees that enhance the capacity of individual workers to meet specific workforce needs;
- Career-related diploma programs to create highly skilled workers; and
- For a company with an acute need or a career-oriented student who is in a big hurry to join the workforce, the technical colleges offer Industry Recognized Certificates that enable a student to focus on finite job task(s) by developing in-depth knowledge and skill sets.
The government of Georgia wisely chose to create a statewide independent system that owns and operates its technical colleges. The system provides multiple opportunities for students to acquire in-depth attitudes, knowledge and skills suitable for employment in today’s high-tech workforce. It is a given that all technical colleges require certain academic courses as a routine part of the program of study.
Another key element is that the actual job skills are always taught by an experienced craftsman/craftswoman, i.e., a practitioner who knows the ins and outs of the occupation.
The technical colleges not only provide preparation for the novices but contribute to the lifelong learning needs of all workers. For example, specific industry recognized certificates can be used to aid incumbent workers in adding new skills.
The student body of a technical college will always be unique and most distinctive. On any given day you will find novices just beginning their preparation for the workforce, experienced workers getting a variety of preparation for a whole range of tasks or displaced workers retooling their skills for a different kind of work. Right beside them you will find workers who wish to change to another set of skills or add an associate degree. Dual enrollment students from local high schools will also be there working to get a head start in the job market.
Because all credits earned in a technical college must be portable and transferable, each technical college will be fully accredited—often by more than one accrediting agency. They are constantly refocusing and refitting to keep them in harmony with the needs of the workforce of today and tomorrow.
Given all this activity and care it is very clear why the Technical College System of Georgia is one of the state’s brightest stars in both economic development and education.
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