Georgia Northwestern Tech student designs desk for Governor's Office
GNTC student William Rutledge (left), stands with Jane Hansen, conference of court public information officer for the Supreme Court of Georgia, during the installation of a conference table designed by Rutledge while he was in prison.
A Georgia Northwestern Technical College Drafting Technology program student watched as workers installed a reception desk of his own design in the Governor’s Office at the Georgia State Capitol Building. William Rutledge, an employee of Georgia Correctional Industries (GCI), has been working on the desk since December. The reception desk will be the second of his custom wood furniture designs placed in the office, accompanying the Georgia State Patrol desk which was installed earlier this year.

“Not many people have this opportunity,” Rutledge said. “I have gone from having a state prison ID number to a state employee ID.”

According to Rutledge, the story of how he ended up designing furniture to go into government buildings started during his 17-year prison sentence. It was while he was incarcerated that he began teaching himself AutoCAD®, a computer-based software program that aids in drafting and designing. It was during this time of self-teaching that Rutledge found GCI. GCI provides offenders the hard and soft skills needed to successfully re-enter society. It was at GCI’s Metal Plant, located at Walker State Prison, where Rutledge felt like he was regaining his identity.

“They gave me purpose and structure when I was in prison,” he said. “Without it you are lost and just hanging out in prison.”  Read more here.
Coastal Pines leads North America in “Fix Your Content Day Challenge”

In celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (May 21), colleges around the world competed in a "Fix Your Content Day Challenge," a 24-hour competition committed to creating accessible and more inclusive digital learning content across institutions. The objective of the day was to mobilize instructors and staff to fix as many digital course files as possible through Blackboard’s Ally. The Technical College System of Georgia had three of the top finishers: #1 Coastal Pines Technical College, #2 Oconee Fall Line Technical College, and #3 Lanier Technical College, as well as having three additional colleges in the top 10 globally. In addition to being #1 globally, Coastal Pines finished 1st in the North America Region. A trophy will be awarded to five global winners that fixed the most digital content. In addition, due to the great work of all of the participating colleges, TCSG is set to be recognized as the state system winner.
“To Protect and Serve” ‒ is the recognized mission common across America’s law enforcement agencies. In support of this noble mission, Albany Technical College, the City of Albany, Dougherty County, and several other regional law enforcement agencies are collaborating on a unique curriculum for peace officer recruits, which will provide a solid foundation as they begin their career. Beginning the 2020 summer semester, Albany Technical College will offer a new Technical Certificate of Credit (TCC) within the college’s Criminal Justice Technology program. Read more here.  
Georgia Power presented the Athens Tech Foundation with a check for $35,000. Athens Technical College and the Athens Tech Foundation would like to thank Georgia Power for their support of our students. Georgia Power established the Engineering and Technology Scholarship through the Athens Tech Foundation to highlight workforce development, one of its statewide community focus areas. By providing scholarships to develop the state’s future workforce in the engineering & technology and advanced manufacturing & welding programs, Georgia Power supports the future growth of our state. 
 
Atlanta Technical College hosted its Dual Enrollment Virtual Preview Day this week. High school students and counselors from Atlanta Public Schools, Clayton County Schools, and Fulton County Schools were joined by parents to learn about the high school dual enrollment process. Dr. Victoria Seals, President of ATC, welcomed everyone with a warm charge to get ahead of their high school studies by enrolling in college courses. The ninth through eleventh-graders logged into the WebEx forum and asked questions. Check out Atlanta Tech’s Virtual Open House website here.
Augusta Technical College Design and Media Production Technology graduate and SkillsUSA State Medalist, Brittany Doster and her fellow employees had no idea they were heroes working without capes. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Doster’s employer, Mr. Lane Keen of Keen Signs & Graphics, knew they had the equipment to do two big things during the crisis: help stop its spread and help out local businesses. That is why they shifted their operations to producing sneeze guards. Read more here.
Testing for the GED® at Central Georgia Technical College's adult education centers reopened this week following recent closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Adult Education Division is implementing CDC guidelines for social distancing as it invites test candidates back into its facilities. Test candidates should be advised that walk-ins will not be accepted. All test candidates must schedule to test prior to arriving at the testing center. Testing slots are limited. Read more here.
Despite the additional challenges they faced to complete their college education during a global coronavirus pandemic, 365 Chattahoochee Technical College students graduated this spring semester. A commencement ceremony honoring their achievement has been postponed until December. Many of these recent Chattahoochee Tech graduates will immediately step into vital roles as first responders in their community’s essential workforce. These graduates include students who trained to become paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMT). Read more here.
Camden is Going Coastal! The newest campus for Coastal Pines Technical College is currently under construction in Camden County, Georgia. Construction continues amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the campus is on track to open for the Fall 2020 semester. This campus will be the seventh campus in the CPTC service delivery area and will house various medical, technical, and services-related programs, as well as general education courses and adult education courses. Read more here.
Columbus Technical College students facing tough and often unpredictable hardships have access to a financial helping hand through the CTC Foundation. The Student Assistance Fund helps students continue their programs of study should an emergency arise. With the current state of COVID-19 and the economic challenges that come with it, a generous $5,000 grant from Wells Fargo means even more to Columbus Tech students. They will be able to finish what they’ve started. Read more here.
Georgia Northwestern Technical College had to reschedule its spring commencement ceremony, so the faculty and staff at GNTC wanted to extend a special virtual congratulations to honor the Spring 2020 graduates!  Watch the video here.
Georgia Piedmont Technical College students who earn an associate degree in applied sciences through the college’s Interdisciplinary Studies Health Track will now have the option to transfer seamlessly into a bachelor’s in health science at Georgia Highlands College (GHC). The two colleges held a virtual articulation agreement signing ceremony via Zoom on May 5. GPTC President Tavarez Holston and Executive Vice President Cheree Williams joined GHC President Don Green and Provost/Chief Academic Officer Dana Nichols for the first-ever virtual signing between the two colleges. Read more here. Watch the signing ceremony here.
Gwinnett Technical College's Student Life team is showing support and love for the healthcare workers and senior citizens of our community through motivational messages. To date they have collected more than 150 messages from students and community members. These letters will help improve the mental health of those working on the front lines of our healthcare system and the elderly who may feel isolated because of the lack of visitors at this time.
Lanier Technical College was awarded the SkillsUSA National Model of Excellence distinction. After a robust national competition, Lanier Tech is one of only 24 colleges and high schools nationwide to earn the distinction. Throughout the year, local high school and college SkillsUSA chapters held multiple activities that fell within one of the three categories of the SkillsUSA National Framework -- personal skills, workplace skills, and technical skills grounded in education. Read more here.
North Georgia Technical College received the 2020 Innovation Award from the Community Colleges of Appalachia during a virtual awards presentation on May 20. The college was selected from 16 applications submitted from 12 states. The award recognized the college’s current “Trek to Success” initiative, which encourages employees to serve 13,700 people from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020. A person served is defined as either an adult education, non-credit, or credit student. Pictured left to right receiving the award for NGTC are President Dr. Mark Ivester and VP for Economic Development Keith Powell. Read more here. 
Nafissa Diakite came to America from West Africa in pursuit of the American dream. Her desire was to become educated and find a career where she could speak for those who could not speak for themselves. After moving to Dublin, Diakite started taking GED classes at Oconee Fall Line Technical College. “I was impressed with how dedicated and passionate the staff was to help me achieve my goal,” Diakite said. After she completed her GED, she enrolled in OFTC's Cybersecurity program. Read more here.
Georgia Southern University signed a memorandum of understanding with Ogeechee Technical College to provide an automatic admission pathway for local students. The agreement creates an Accelerated Transfer Program that allows students who have been denied admission to Georgia Southern to enter Ogeechee Technical College with intent to transfer to Georgia Southern at a later date. “Georgia Southern University is committed to providing opportunities for student success,” said Georgia Southern President Kyle Marrero. “We are proud to partner with Ogeechee Tech to provide students with the tools and support they need to excel.” The Accelerated Transfer Program will begin in the Fall 2020 Semester. Read more here. 
Savannah Technical College is now offering multiple short-term career training courses, many of which you can take without leaving your own home. One of the Technical Certificates of Credit (TCC) available is for Logistics Technician, a career path that continues to grow even as many other businesses struggle due to COVID-19. “Every company that deals with a transportation warehousing supply chain is looking for the next generation that is going to come in and work,” said Savannah Tech Logistics Advisory Board Member and Freightliner Sales Representative David Mihuta. Read more here.
COVID-19 disrupted plans for South Georgia Technical College’s time-honored commencement ceremony. "Despite these challenges, South Georgia Tech committed to celebrating the accomplishments, successes, and resiliency of the Spring Class of 2020 virtually," said South Georgia Technical College President Dr. John Watford. Approximately 170 individuals were recognized at South Georgia Technical College’s Spring 2020 Virtual Commencement Ceremony on a local radio station on Thursday, May 14, and then highlighted in a graduation video on social media. Read more here. Watch the virtual ceremony here.
Some Southeastern Technical College students returned to campus this week. Southeastern Tech is allowing students to return in phases, starting with those that need to complete labs for the Spring 2020 Semester.
Southern Crescent Technical College is pleased to announce the launch of the Laptop Loaner Program to assist students with their technology needs in the transition to remote learning. This program will allow students to check out a loaner laptop in order to stay connected with their instructors and complete their assignments. SCTC President Dr. Alvetta Thomas stated, “Once we made the transition to remote learning, we quickly realized that many of our students were facing challenges with technology since they do not have proper equipment or internet connections. We hope that this program will alleviate those obstacles and will allow our students to focus on their studies.” Read more here.
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation awarded the Southern Regional Technical College Foundation a $10,000 grant to support adult literacy. This local grant is part of more than $8.6 million in grants awarded to more than 950 schools, nonprofits, and organizations across the communities Dollar General serves. “Our service delivery area has communities where 15-27% of the adult population do not have a high school diploma or its equivalent,” said Southern Regional Technical College’s Director of Adult Education, Melissa Burtle. “The Dollar General Literacy Foundation has been a great supporter of the adult education program at SRTC by providing much needed scholarships for GED testing, tutoring, and promoting literacy efforts in the community.” Read more here.
West Georgia Technical College is using social media to highlight a number of graduates who are playing important roles in the fight against COVID-19. Kimberly McIntyre, a 2017 Radiologic Technology graduate, is just one of these heroes. She works at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta taking care of children who may not even know about the pandemic. They just know they need someone who cares about them when they are sick. Thank you, Kimberly, and all those essential workers trained and prepared by the Technical College System of Georgia!
We have been hearing stories about essential workers, like nurses, and those in manufacturing careers, like welders, who have risen to the occasion during our national pandemic. Here’s a look at how Wiregrass Georgia Technical College and clinical sites such as South Georgia Medical Center prepared one student for the task. Even as a little girl, Lauren Clark of Valdosta knew that she wanted to become a nurse, and honestly didn’t see herself being anything else. Lauren credits her instructors at Wiregrass for preparing her for her job as a nurse at the Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville. Hall County is ranked fifth in Georgia for highest cases of COVID-19. Read more here.
Augusta Technical College produced this cute tribute to “work buddies.”
Columbus Technical College’s HVAC, Certified Nurse Aide, Radiologic Technology, Cosmetology, Esthetics, and DMS seniors were able to complete necessary labs after CTC President Martha Ann Todd approved its health and safety plan.
Abdulfatah Jama, a graduate from the Commercial Refrigeration Program at Georgia Piedmont Technical College gives a behind-the-scenes look at his day-to-day routine for Kroger Grocery and how it has changed due to the ongoing pandemic.
 
 
Savannah Technical College Film Instructor, John Grace created an informational video to promote his program. The On-Set Production Assistant program at Savannah Tech is part of the Georgia Film Academy.
South Georgia Technical College created a virtual tour of the SGTC campus.