Anyone visiting Heart of Georgia Technical College these days will undoubtedly notice the changes under way on campus. Trucks and machinery maneuver out front against a backdrop of construction as work on the new health building takes full swing. A newly completed greenhouse sits across the way, ready for students to arrive. Inside, pre-k’ers make their way each morning to a new, colorful classroom area — a considerable upgrade from their old location. But even beyond the changes in campus facade are the additions to the college’s course offerings. Among them are expanded online courses and new certificate programs to help both students and area employers better compete in the ever-changing job market. “We’re trying to change with them,” said Kathy Lindsay, Auto CAD instructor, of the shifts in the drafting industry, which has undergone changes with the influx of home improvement stores such as The Home Depot and Lowe’s. To equip students for the transforming market, HGTC is offering more computer-based drafting courses in the Auto CAD program. The college offers a certificate of credit in basic Auto CAD operator. “Originally, drafting was board drafting,” said Lindsay. “All that’s been automated now.” She said classes now utilize more software, like a new program that teaches students to create multidimensional floor plans for kitchens and baths by computer. Lindsay said the innovative software, which is also used at the university level, is “very visual” — allowing students to learn to pick, choose and create floor plan ideas for potential customers. HGTC is one of the only technical colleges in the state to expose students to this type of software in the classroom. “You’ll literally become a part of it.” “We’re also looking at architectural software for other parts of the house,” she said. In addition to the Auto CAD technical certificate of credit, a diploma program may also soon be available — possibly next fall. “We’re in the process of doing the paperwork to turn it into a diploma program,” said Lindsay. “It’s the way industry is going.” Day and evening classes are available for the certificate, which Lindsay said typically takes about four quarters to complete. The certificate and diploma programs open up career fields for students in construction, architecture and home improvement and design. “It really opens a lot more opportunities and a lot more creativity,” said Lindsay Though not entirely new but still expanding, is the college’s environmental horticulture program. HGTC began offering a technician’s certificate of credit last year. This year, however, students enrolled in the five-course program will be provided more hands-on experience through the new 28 by 60 greenhouse. “Our students will have access to that as a lab,” said Paula McGowan, HGTC’s public service department chair. McGowan said the certificate program is more technical than a continuing education class and is more involved than a gardening course. The program can be completed in a year, though only evening classes are currently available. Classes are offered Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 10 p.m. in landscaping, irrigation, pest management and horticulture science. Students will also have the chance to learn business management skills beyond the regular classroom through the sale of their own plants, McGowan said. “Next spring, we should have some trees for sale.” Since the program was first offered last fall quarter, one student is on track to graduate next September and another in December. Entry level job certificate students can explore include landscaping, golf course management, park maintenance, nursery operations, garden center management, pest control and irrigation installation. Also new to HGTC is the family childcare certificate and three new air conditioning certificate programs — air conditional electrical technician, air conditioning repair specialist and air conditioning technician assistant. The childcare certificate is designed for those who want to keep children in their homes. The program consists of five classes and can typically be completed in five quarters. “It’s conceivably for people who want to keep children in their home,” said HGTC acting president Beth Crumpton. Crumpton said Georgia’s technical college warranty program, which guarantees retraining at no cost if graduates go into the job market and cannot perform to standard competencies, all but assures students of career success. “We stand behind a quality education for our students,” she said. “We’re very student-focused and customer-oriented.” —The last day for registration is Sept. 28. Classes begin Monday, Oct. 2. For registration information, call 478-274-7842 or visit www.heartofgatech.edu.
Finding Your Place in Technical Education
When Ragan Green graduated from Dublin High School, he was undecided about his future. He knew he needed a skill to have a successful career, so he turned to Heart of Georgia Technical College.
“I knew I liked to be cool in the summer, and I assumed everyone else did. I figured there would always be a need for air conditioning mechanics,” says Green. What he didn’t know was how well his education would prepare him for work in a number of mechanical areas. One of the first graduates of HGTC’s program, he worked as a Line Mechanic for nine years and later with a heating and air company based in Dodge County.
When the need for a new Maintenance Technician arose at HGTC, Green applied and was awarded the position. After working in that capacity, he was promoted to Maintenance Supervisor. His responsibilities include, “anything required to maintain the school and keep it in good working order.”
While in school at HGTC, Green met his wife, Lisa, who also attended the college. She graduated from the Business Technology program and currently works in the Economic Development Department as an Administrative Secretary.
In early 2006, Green was nominated for Alumnus of the Year, an award that recognizes graduates with success in their fields and who contribute back to their communities.
Green is a part-time musician and is actively involved at his church. When it comes to talking about the future, he readily gives advice from his own experience. “I tell the young people that they can go to college right here at HGTC and when they graduate they will be ready to go to work. If they don’t know what they are suited for, they can take the CareerScope testing through the Placement Office. Employers are waiting for students of HGTC to graduate so they can hire them.”
Coming Full Circle with Education
Tony White credits Heart of Georgia Technical College with the success he experienced with a Bleckley County industry. Now, he has come full circle with his new position of Maintenance Technician at the college.
One of the first graduates of the Air Conditioning Technology
program, White found that his education prepared him well for a position in many different areas. He went to work with a manufacturing company where he stayed for twenty years until his new position became available at HGTC. Maintenance Supervisor, Ragan Green says, “Tony is a very bright guy with a great attitude. He is very knowledgeable in all fields of maintenance and is a definite asset to HGTC.”
Due to his success professionally, White’s former instructor Kevin Livingston nominated him for Macon Telegraph’s Man of the Year. White won the honor in 1993.
HGTC not only had an impact on White professionally, but personally. His wife, Gloria, was taking classes in the Air Conditioning Technology program when the class met on site where White was working. They met and have now been married eleven years. She chose to pursue an education in the medical field and finished school at HGTC. She is currently an LPN at a local dialysis center.
White’s two stepchildren graduated from the Pharmacy Technician program and both work at Carl Vinson VA Medical Center.
White’s new responsibilities include not only air conditioning, but any work necessary to keep the school maintained and in good operating order.
The Dublin Exchange Club recently presented scholarships to two Heart of Georgia Technical College students. The students are practical nursing (core) students. Pictured(l-r) are: Robert Kennedy, Scholarship Committee; Johnny Shackleford , Scholarship Committee; Sam Beall, Scholarship Committee; Lakesia Nicole Gibson, HGTC student and scholarship recipient; Lyvonne Johnson, HGTC student and scholarship recipient; Claire Livingston, HGTC allied health department chair; Albert Hood, Scholarship Committee; and Bill Hoyt, Scholarship Committee.
Internship Leads to Hiring
For man with a great deal of responsibility, Kelvin Washington is calm and focused. A Milledgeville native, Washington has varied experience that has led him to a place he feels comfortable, helping others.
When Washington graduated from Baldwin County High School, he entered the National Guard where he served for four years. After completing this duty, he worked with Engelhard Kaolin for fourteen years. During this time, he answered the call to full-time ministry when becoming the Pastor of Milville Baptist Church where he, his wife Justina, and children Kelvetra and Kelvin will celebrate his eighth anniversary in November.
In October 2004, Washington enrolled in Heart of Georgia Technical College to study Criminal Justice. During his time at HGTC, he worked his internship at Middle Georgia Probation, LLC. While still in school, Washington was hired as a full-time employee and was allowed to continue his education with time off for classes. He is currently working on his associate degree in Criminal Justice at HGTC.
Eric Haskins, Vice President and Owner of Middle Georgia Probation, has been pleased with Washington, “Kelvin came as an intern, referred to us by Kevin Corbin at HGTC. We have qualities we look for in employees and when a position became available we hired Kelvin. He has been an asset and a quality employee.”
Haskins has allowed several HGTC students to perform their internships with his company. “It is a win-win situation; we have a great partnership with HGTC. I realize the value of a good internship and we try to teach the interns as much as we can about the criminal justice system. The opportunity gives students the chance to see if this is really what they would like to do as a career. It gives them an inside look and good experience while finishing their education.”
Washington’s responsibilities include supervising cases and making sure probationers follow court orders. He also handles revocations for probationers who do not meet the conditions of their probation. He prepares warrants for arrest along with many other duties. His current case load is 248 probationers. He serves Laurens and Treutlen counties.
Education with Focus
When Damian Register graduated from Dublin High School, he went to college because that is what was expected. “I went to college because everyone else did, but I was unfocused,” says Register.
Register soon found his way when he enrolled at Heart of Georgia Technical College and began working towards becoming a Pharmacy Technician. He worked with a retail pharmacy and liked the work he was doing and decided to focus his efforts on learning what he enjoyed.
During his time at HGTC, Register was able to work full-time and attend classes while being named to the President’s List for his outstanding academic achievements. After completing the 18 month study, Register earned his diploma.
In 2006, Register began work with Gayco Healthcare Systems, a Dublin company that provides medications to nursing homes and correctional institutions. Bent Gay, owner of Gayco, is pleased with Register, “Damian has perfectly fit our company’s needs and wants with regard Pharmacy Technician expectations. He is a hard worker that understands our team concept and has adopted his role within our team. Our company purpose has become Damian’s purpose. He is well educated in the day to day pharmacy processes, which are a blend of understanding pharmacy operations and utilizing pharmaceutical knowledge. These skills are a terrific reflection of the education he received from HGTC.”
Register plans to continue his education while working full-time. He would like to become a Pharmacist. He enjoys the working environment at Gayco and likes knowing he is doing something for someone else, “I like helping people. When we fill prescriptions, we are taking lives into our hands. Doing what we do makes a difference for others and it has given me the chance to connect with a lot of people,” says Register.
HGTC Program Earns 100% Pass Rate
While the state average pass rate for the Certified Respiratory Therapist exam is less than 50%, Heart of Georgia Technical College earned a 100% pass rate on the recent test. Those having taken the subsequent Registry Respiratory Therapist exam have earned 100% pass rate, also.
Respiratory Therapists can be found throughout hospitals, nursing homes, home health, emergency programs, and physician practices working with patients. They work with breathing treatments, manage ventilators, monitor patient breathing during surgery, educate patients, and help with smoking cessation and many other aspects of respiratory therapy.
The course study at HGTC takes eight quarters to complete and only 18 students are accepted every summer quarter. Students in the current course of study represent Laurens and eight surrounding counties. Their study gives students the opportunity to be certified in Basic Life Support, Advance Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, and Neonatal Resuscitation Protocol.
Labs and clinical studies are sequenced so that material is taught in the class and has been performed successfully in lab before performed in the clinical setting. Students also have labs where they do all procedures on manikins and each other before they do them with supervision on patients. An Externship (like an apprenticeship) is performed at a hospital where students work the same schedule as a Respiratory Therapist.
The demand for Respiratory Therapists is great. While the United States employment is forecasted to increase by 15%, the need for Respiratory Therapists is predicted to grow by 26%. HGTC has 100% employment placement for graduates in Respiratory Therapy.
Salaries are expected to increase with demand. The average annual earnings are $56,222 with those just beginning careers reportedly averaged $41, 538.
Denim & Diamonds is set for February
The Sixth Annual Denim & Diamonds Dinner sponsored by the Heart of Georgia Technical College Foundation is set for Saturday, February 3, 2007 at the HGTC Porter Center.
Again this year, an exciting evening is planned for the black-tie, glitzy western affair. Because the event is so successful, the HGTC Foundation is offering pre-order ticket sales this fall. “We’ve had such tremendous support from the community the past five years,” said Helen Harper, HGTC Foundation president. “We want to give them the opportunity to purchase tickets early and get the event on their calendar.”
More than 500 friends and supporters of the College and Foundation enjoy the annual event. Last year approximately $24,000 was raised to support college initiatives such as equipment for credit programs, the Tools for Outstanding Occupational Leadership Students (TOOLS), the Student Emergency Fund, the Lending Library, the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) Program, and several scholarships.
Tickets are $50 each and include a social hour, dinner, and entertainment by middle Georgia’s own, Rocky Creek Band. A table of eight is $400. For more information, or to pre-order tickets contact June Moore at (478) 272-7775 or the HGTC Foundation Office at (478) 275-7627.
The Pre-K class at Heart of Georgia Technical College enjoyed a visit by the Dublin Fire Department as part of Fire Safety Week. Pictured: HGTC Pre-K class, teachers, and Dublin Fire Department firemen.
Scholarships awarded at Little Ocmulgee Instructional Center
Ten Little Ocmulgee Instructional Center students have received the Little Ocmulgee Instructional Center Technology Fee Scholarship from the Heart of Georgia Technical College Foundation for fall quarter. Those receiving the award are Amanda Lasher of McRae, Pashion Williams of Glenwood, Jennifer Allen of Milan, Yulita Lewis of McRae, Lisa Dixon of Alamo, Rosa Woodard of McRae, Mikel Floyd of Cochran, Susan Snellgrove of McRae, Jennifer Andrews of Helena, and Tamika Carswell of Alamo.
The Technology Fee Scholarship is awarded quarterly to students enrolled in a program of study at Little Ocmulgee Instructional Center (LOIC) of the Heart of Georgia Technical College. The scholarship is awarded to students who are in a good academic standing with the college. The scholarship is also based on financial need and the amount of funds available for the award.
The HGTC Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization. If you would like to make a donation to support the technology fee scholarship, please contact Laurie Wicker at 478-274-7878 or 478-274-7627, or visit the Foundation website at www.heartofgatech.edu.
To kick off fall quarter at Heart of Georgia Technical College the HGTC Bookstore held a contest. Students were asked to guess the correct number of aluminum tabs in the jar, and the students who guessed the correct number within 10,000 had their name included for a drawing. Pictured are the winners of the gift baskets: Sandra Currie, a student in the Early Childhood Education program, and Erick Martin, a student in the Air Conditioning Technology program.
Seventeen students recently graduated from the Culinary Nutrition Assistant Program at Heart of Georgia Technical College. This was the largest culinary class in the state to complete the Culinary Nutrition Assistant technical certificate of credit. At this time, the HGTC program is offered only to School Nutrition personnel. Pictured are (left to right): Front Row - Rosa Pooler, Laurens; Connie Gillis, Laurens; Teresa Blue, Laurens; Kathy Ricks, Laurens; Christy Steinmann, Laurens. Middle Row – Judy McCant, Laurens; Minda Fincher, Laurens; Karen Swinson, Laurens; Wanda Wood, Laurens. Back Row – Melinda Rowland, Dodge; Sharon Johnson, Laurens; Sally Erck, Laurens; Judy Thigpen, Laurens; Amanda Brantley, Laurens. Not pictured: Lucy Allen, Dodge; Bonnie Green, Laurens; Liz Hickman, Laurens.
New law boosting driver’s ed registration |
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Joshua’s Law will require teens to take a course before getting a license 10/19/06
By NATALIE DAVIS
The Courier Herald
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Hundreds of soon-to-be teen drivers will have to meet new stipulations before they get behind the wheel once a new Georgia law takes effect Jan. 1. Beginning next year, every 15-year-old in the state will be required to complete a total of 40 hours of supervised driver’s education in order to get a Georgia license at 16. “The law stipulates that a 15-year-old must have thirty hours in the classroom, six hours behind the wheel, before they can get their license at 16,” said Heart of Georgia Technical College Vice President for Economic Development Jep Craig, in addition to the four more hours of supervised driving verified by a parent of guardian. HGTC’s offices of continuing education and economic development has recently been inundated with phone calls recently regarding the new state law and questions about how to sign up for the training. Senate Bill 226, or Joshua’s Law as it is commonly known, was passed in the state legislature in 2005, but few area parents and their teens may have received word about the new driving stipulation. “It’s never been mandated up until this point,” said Craig, of the new requirement. Before, parents had the option of enrolling their teens in driver’s education in an effort to get an insurance reduction and the $150 tax credit that comes with completion of a course. HGTC has offered driver’s education classes through its economic development department for three years now, but recently officials at the college have seen phone calls spike with word of the new law spreading throughout the area. Many parents have received misinformation or do not know about it at all, said Craig. Statewide, there still may be an issue with meeting the training need for the hundred thousand soon to be teen drivers. Teens have three options for completing the required 40 hours — either through a class at their school or another location with certified instructors such as HGTC; through a certified private driving school; or through a computer-based course the state is in the process of setting up. Craig said since HGTC officials have yet to receive word from the Department of Driver Services regarding when the computer course will be fully functional and ready to use, and there are only a few schools in the area that offer driver’s education as an elective, many parents may be scrambling to line up an available course for their teens. Also, there are few private driving schools in the state that are not located in metro areas such as Macon and Atlanta. Those that are available, tend to be costly, said Craig. Within HGTC’s service area alone, only East Laurens, West Laurens and Dodge County high schools offer driver’s education, and HGTC is possibly the only college in the area south of Macon do so. That means teens in the counties that make up HGTC’s service area — Laurens, Bleckley, Wilkinson, Telfair, Dodge and Wheeler counties — in addition to other surrounding counties without other alternatives like Johnson County will be in need of available courses come January. Craig said another potentially problematic factor is that HGTC classes are only offered on Saturdays because of the scheduling conflicts classes during the week could pose for area students involved in extracurricular activities. Already, calls have been coming in to HGTC regarding dates and times for next year’s classes. HGTC has classes scheduled through July in five locations — Little Ocmulgee Instructional Center in McRae; the Dr. Peyton Williams Jr. Adult Learning Center in Cochran; Wilkinson County High School in Irwinton; and in Dodge County and on the college’s main campus in Dublin. “We are gearing up to get prepared in all of our counties,” said Craig. The classes span four Saturdays, each lasting eight hours. Thirty hours of the course covers the state driving curriculum information with six additional hours completed on a driving course. Classes are $290 per teen, which could also be a burden to some families, though Craig said he often reminds parents of the tax credit that is available and the impact completing the course can make on insurance coverage costs. “We give them all the information they’re needing” when they sign up for the course, he said. To help parents and teens prepare for the new law and its ramifications, HGTC will hold a free information session, Thursday, Oct. 26 at 6:30 p.m. The session will be free and open to the public and will include information on Joshua’s Law and its requirements. Craig said HGTC is in the process of working to get three additional cars to possibly open up more classes for next year to help with burden. “It’s going to be a real challenge,” he said, adding that for some teens, the 40 required hours may be the only supervised driving training they receive before they get behind the wheel. That fact alone, said Craig, heightens the importance of providing the proper training. “To me,” he said, “that’s the most rewarding thing.” |
The Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) organization at Heart of Georgia Technical College recently held election of officers for 2006-2007. PBL is a national organization for business and information technology students. It provides opportunities to develop vocational competencies for business occupations and promotes a sense of civic and personal responsibility. Pictured (l-r): Beth Daniel, HGTC instructor and club advisor; Yolanda Kratz, president (Bleckley County); David Mark Northrup, parliamentarian (Laurens County); Winston Bolen, vice president (Laurens & Telfair County); Teresa Dean, reporter (Bleckley County); Angela Rowland, secretary (Laurens County); Belinda Gilbert, HGTC instructor and club advisor.
Students and staff of the Heart of Georgia Technical College New Connections to Work/Non-Traditional Programs and Fatherhood Program, along with employees from the Laurens County Child Support Enforcement office, distributed Halloween bags to all K-4 and K-5 students in the HGTC service area (Bleckley, Dodge, Laurens, Telfair, Wheeler, and Wilkinson counties). Pictured is the group showing off the bags. |
