On the morning of December 14, Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) hosted legislators at the Veterans Parkway campus for an annual legislative update. Georgia State Representatives Sam Watson and Darlene Taylor attended in person, while Georgia State Senator Dean Burke joined via Zoom. Other distinguished guests were Charles White, Regional Representative for US Congressman Austin Scott, Beth Meeks with the Georgia Department of Agriculture, and Jody Redding from the Office of Governor Brian Kemp. Joining the state officials were leaders from Colquitt Regional Medical Center, PCOM South Georgia, and Southern Regional Technical College, three organizations that are critical to providing healthcare, education, and workforce development in Southwest Georgia.
SRTC’s President Jim Glass provided the attendees with updates on enrollment growth, the college’s expanding apprenticeship program, and continued job placement excellence. Of particular interest was the burgeoning apprenticeship program, which placed 55 new apprentices at 11 local organizations this year. The apprenticeship program was made possible by the Apprenticeship for Economic Recovery grant, which provides funding for apprenticeships that upskill Georgia’s workforce into careers in industries key to the state’s economic recovery such as manufacturing, transportation, and healthcare.
Of those placements, 40 nurse apprentices are currently working and training at area hospitals. Amid the ongoing nursing shortage, President Glass reported that the SRTC Nursing program is one of the most productive in the state. With nursing-related enrollment representing 24% of all SRTC students, the program graduated 230 nurses during the 2022 academic year.
President Glass thanked the legislators and healthcare representatives for their ongoing support of the Nursing program. “Our Nursing program—from Patient Care Assistants and Nurse Aides to Practical Nurses and Registered Nurses—is one of the largest and strongest programs we offer,” he said. “We simply would not be able to train the high quality healthcare professionals that we do without the support of our regional healthcare partners and ongoing financial support from the State of Georgia.”
President Glass reported substantial enrollment in several other programs, including Welding, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Commercial Truck Driving. The strongest growth, however, was within the college’s Adult Education division. The Adult Education program offers basic education for adults in adult literacy, career training, English language classes, and high school equivalency (GED®) test preparation. The college offers these services at no cost to their students. The college is currently serving over 600 Adult Education students. Since July 1 of 2022, 66 students have earned their high school equivalency (HSE), continuing the 77% HSE growth from FY21 to FY22.
“Our Adult Education division is growing by leaps and bounds,” said President Glass. “We are currently number four in the state for total number of High School Equivalency awards. There are programs 3 and 4 times our size, yet are in the top 13% of most HSE graduates. We are so proud of the strides that our Adult Ed team is making!”
The college’s enrollment growth translated to robust job placement, according to President Glass. Data from AY21 indicate that 99.8% of the college’s graduates found jobs; 95.9% in their field of study. In support of continued growth, President Glass updated the legislators on the status of the college’s planned 75,000 square feet Industrial Technology Building. The building will house several Industrial Technology programs including a new Diesel Equipment Technology program, replacing the outdated Industrial Drive campus. The college will break ground on the new facility at the Veterans Parkway campus in Moultrie in spring of 2023.
SRTC offers over 130 degree, diploma, and certificate programs that are designed to get you quickly into your desired career, and 28 general education courses that transfer to the University System of Georgia institutions and 19 private colleges and universities in Georgia. SRTC has instructional sites located in Colquitt, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Thomas, Tift, Turner, and Worth counties for the convenience of our students. The College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). SACSCOC is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. For the most up-to-date information on registration, class dates, and program offerings, log on to www.southernregional.edu.
Spring semester begins January 10! Don’t wait, enroll today!