Andrea Daniel, President, Athens Technical College
Every student is a puzzle. They come from different backgrounds and have unique challenges and dreams. As such, education continues to be the great equalizer for many students, especially those who never saw themselves attaining a college-level education. In an interview with Focus:, Athens Technical College President Andrea Daniel highlights the value of a technical college education and how the college collaborates with companies to help train the local workforce.
How have shifting workforce demands influenced the college’s program offerings and enrollment patterns?
We had great enrollment figures up until the pandemic. But now we are seeing figures increasing, and beyond enrollment figures, we are also seeing the most graduates that we have ever had in our college’s history. This demonstrates the return on investment for taxpayers who are investing money into technical colleges as well as students gaining jobs that are placed and filled. We have the highest placed and filled job rate of any technical college in the state of Georgia at 99.4%. We are really proud of this.
What is the college’s role in helping employers adapt to talent shortages or upskilling needs in key sectors?
We can be very nimble with our credit programs. In addition to more than 160 credit programs that we have to help workforce needs, we have an economic development department. This department can handle any training needs presented to them, whether to help companies with employee retention or upskilling the companies’ employee bases. Workforce development is our sole mission. We think deeply about where our students are going to work, have great jobs and lives, and give back to their community. Approximately 80% of our students remain in the 11-county service area.
How are student demographics evolving?
More than 70% of our students are under the age of 25. This is a great shift from 30 years ago when the majority of students were 35 and older. We are getting younger students and those student needs are different than what they were 30 years ago. Students want to provide and give back to their community, so they come in very focused. They have information available at their finger tips and are very savvy, which has required us to make a shift. We always wanted younger students mostly because of the value of a technical education. Now we are getting them in at an earlier age. The governmental program known as Georgia Match is helping students who did not consider going to any college, whether a technical college or the traditional four-year degree schools. This is an exciting change for the students to connect with us, and it is very important that we make more connections.
For companies, we guarantee the education, if not, we can take the students and retrain them for free at no cost to the student or the company. We are truly a sure thing. Local companies are reporting that they are pleased with the type of training that our graduates are prepared with. Georgia is booming, and we want to help be part of that solution.
How do company insights regarding workforce needs help shape your programming?
One of the best examples is our partnership with Piedmont Healthcare. We partner with them so they can avoid hiring temporary nurses. Our students come in and know how to perform right away. This is what we are working to replicate in the manufacturing sector. Many students come in and do not have the math skills. We are working to equip the students with those skills and help them become extremely proficient. We meet with companies while we are doing our programs, so we can hear firsthand what skills are needed and most relevant.
We often hear that students need work ethic, timeliness, and other soft skills. Students also need assistance with interviewing skills and resume building, and we make sure to help them. As for other areas, students are lacking basic computer skills such as Excel and other foundational computer skills.
We have 1,300 dual enrollment students, attending high school and college at the same time. We have an opportunity to help shape their future success. Additionally, when prospective employers are seeking to come into Georgia, we are right there alongside the state leaders to tell companies how we can help them meet their workforce needs.
What does program innovation look like in today’s educational landscape?
This is something we are working on. AI is the focus. I have worked with different groups on AI innovation and will continue to do so. Change is lightning fast, and it is a big challenge. Nationwide, technical colleges are up in enrollment, especially in Georgia. As far as demographics, we have more females attending our college, at about 66%. We want everyone to know that whatever they want to do, they can do it at our college. We try very hard to create a welcoming environment and help people understand that the door of opportunity is here. The state of Georgia does a great job at administering the HOPE Grant, which is Georgia residency-based. If a student lives in Georgia, they can take all of our diploma programs at no cost. When we hear how expensive education has become, we make sure to let people know that they can pursue an education and have great outcomes thanks to this type of funding.
How would you characterize the value of a technical education?
There is great value in an applied education. Students long to do things that are applied. For some students, it should be their first choice so they can thrive. You can take a C student in high school but give them an applied education in something that they love such as auto or nursing, and they will become A-level students. At large, many people believe that more education is better with the end goal being a master’s or postgraduate degree. That is not always what some people want to do. An applied education is the right path for many students.
