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For college-bound DeKalb County high school seniors, DeKalb Technical College is a top pick according to a recently released report by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. (GOSA) For the first time state officials have tracked where students end up after the pomp and circumstance of high school graduation fades. Technical Colleges score big according to the report, released August 20, 2009. The Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) was among the 10 most popular choices for students from 165 of the state’s 181 school districts between 2000 and 2007. In 62 of those districts, the Technical College was the number one choice of high school graduates according to the report.
In recent years a tough economy is bringing many people back to the classroom to retrain and retrench for a new career. This down turn in the economy has resulted in an upswing in technical college enrollment across the state. “The under 21 age group enrollment at all TCSG colleges has almost doubled from 2000 to 2009, growing 86% from 22,742 students to 42,199 students.” according to Mike Light, Executive Director of Communications for the Technical College System of Georgia.
Of the 2008 high school graduates in DeKalb County, more than two-thirds went to college. 75.7 percent stayed in-state and 24.3 percent went out of state. Of the in-state college-bound students the GOSA says DeKalb Technical College ranked in the top three schools along with Georgia State and Georgia Perimeter College. This is a point of pride for administrators at DeKalb Tech. “As our slogan says, “So many choices. One SMART choice.” This reinforces that high school graduates are smarter than ever and make the right choice!” says Dr. Robin Hoffman, President of DeKalb Technical College.
The GOSA report shows that technical colleges have been a very popular choice for Georgia’s high school graduates primarily in smaller communities. There can be many reasons for this trend including easy access to schools, economical cost of tuition and a shorter time commitment to go from enrollment to walking away with a diploma, degree or technical certificate. For a full copy of the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement report, go to: www.gaosa.org
DeKalb Technical College, a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, promotes a student-centered environment for lifelong learning and development, encompassing academic and technical education for employment in a global community. The college has 8 centers of learning in DeKalb, Newton, Rockdale, and Morgan counties. Established in 1961, DeKalb Technical College currently has more than 4,000 students enrolled in diploma or degree programs and more than 9,000 in adult education classes. Academic and Technical programs at DeKalb Tech cover more than 100 different occupations. For more information visit our website at www.dekalbtech.edu.
