Schley County faculty and staff tour South Georgia Technical College

July 28, 2016
Approximately 75 individuals from the Schley County School System visited South Georgia Technical College for an information session and tour as part of their pre-planning activities for the 2016 – 2017 school year. Shown above are the Schley County faculty and staff during the training session.
Approximately 75 individuals from the Schley County School System visited South Georgia Technical College for an information session and tour as part of their pre-planning activities for the 2016 – 2017 school year. Shown above are the Schley County faculty and staff during the training session.

Approximately 75 individuals from the Schley County School System visited South Georgia Technical College for an information session and tour as part of their pre-planning activities for the 2016 – 2017 school year.  The group met in the John M. Pope Industrial Technology Center and then toured the campus.       South Georgia Technical College President Dr. John Watford and Schley County School System Superintendent Adam Hathaway led the staff development session that included a presentation on the state’s ‘Move On When Ready’ partnership, a review of the over 200 associate degree, diploma, and technical certificate of credit programs available on the South Georgia Technical College campus in Americus and Cordele, and an informative look at the college’s summer STEM camp that featured students from Schley County High School.       “On behalf of everyone here at South Georgia Technical College, I want to thank Superintendent Hathaway for asking us to host your pre-planning meeting today,” said South Georgia Technical College President Dr. John Watford.  “We appreciate you coming today to learn more about South Georgia Tech and what we can do to help strengthen our communities and to improve our economy through a stronger partnership with your K-12 system.       “We had over 100 high school students from Schley County to take advantage of the ‘Move On When Ready’ partnership this past year and we are hoping to increase that number this Fall.  This is a great program that allows your high school students to take college classes at no cost to them or their parents.  And it does not count against their HOPE hours,” explained Dr. Watford.        SGTC President Watford also gave an overview of the history of South Georgia Technical College, talked about the college’s SACS COC accreditation and the demand for a trained workforce with an associate degree or diploma in several strategic industries that South Georgia Technical College provides educational training for.        “We have strong partnerships with corporations such as Caterpillar, John Deere, Kauffman Tire, Flint Energies, Georgia Power, and Metro Power and our graduates get jobs.  Our mission is workforce development education and by collaborating with our educational partners and existing businesses we can provide the trained workforce needed in our area and in this state,” said Watford.  “We appreciate you coming today to learn more about how we can partner to accomplish this and to make our communities stronger.”        Schley County Schools Superintendent Adam Hathaway thanked Dr. Watford and his staff for hosting the Schley County faculty and staff.  “South Georgia Technical College is a tremendous resource for you and for our students.  We are only 12 miles away from the Americus campus and by working together we can help improve the educational outcomes of our students and provide a better trained workforce for our community.  I appreciate them hosting this meeting and providing a tour of their facilities and programs.”        Following the meeting and lunch, Dr. Watford and his staff provided a windshield tour of the entire Americus campus and stopped at the Griffin B. Bell Aerospace Technology Center, the Southeastern Heavy Equipment Dealer’s Technology Center, and the Transportation Center to view the motorsports and John Deere Agricultural Technology program areas.