Georgia Connector Magazine Spring 2012 : Page 36

L EARNING / EDUCATION Plan B: Setting goals and Aiming high Retiring with the rank of lieutenant after 23 years as a communications offi cer, Barnett and his wife Carla, a University of Georgia mail clerk, settled down in Athens in 2002 along with their daughters. “I was fortunate to get into the new construction home business designing fabrication documents,” he says. “Then I had to reinvent myself when the new home construction bubble burst and the foundation for my livelihood crumbled. That’s when I decided it was time to get a technical education.” Barnett enrolled at ATC in the fall quarter of 2010 and will receive his marketing management diploma next year. “Technical education gives you instant credibility,” he says. “When you get a degree, diploma or certifi cate, people know that you are a can-do person.” Barnett appreciates the efforts of marketing management program director Dr. Sandy Weaver and other faculty and staff. “From the fi rst day, I felt like I was dealing with people who generally cared about what I wanted to do. I have yet to go into a classroom where I haven’t learned something that I would take with me forever.” and Walton County campuses, students can complete general education course requirements for all degree and diploma programs and all of the campuses off er courses in cosmetology and early childhood care and education. Courses are tailored to the needs of the service area, which encompasses Clarke, Elbert, Greene, Hart, Madison, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Taliaferro, Walton and Wilkes counties. “We are constantly changing to meet workforce demands,” Tydings says. “We recently went through a major curriculum revision as a part of the semester conversion [from a quarter system]. Our program faculty worked with business and industry representatives to ensure that the skills we are teaching in the classroom are up-to-date and refl ective of what is occurring in the workplace. We also strategically analyze emerging occupational trends to identify opportunities to expand our program off erings.” Clarke County is a regional medical center and the Life Sciences track covers the fi eld with 18 programs including biotechnology, dental assisting, dental hygiene, diagnostic medical sonography, health information technology, nursing, paramedic technology, physical therapist assistant, radiography, surgical technology and even veterinary technology. Life Sciences is enhanced by its new state-of-the-art facility, opened in 2010, where innovative learning tools include “sims” (for simulations) of an adult male, child and toddler that can be programmed to have heart attack, stroke or other symptoms . Th e culinary arts program, located on the Walton County campus, is extremely popular. “You go into just about any restaurant in the area and ask if they have Athens Tech graduates and the chances are they have two or three,” says Smith. Commercial truck driving, taught at Elbert and Walton, is a ten-week course that can lead to a well-paying job. Other technical and industrial staples are automotive, electronic, air conditioning and construction programs. Today, students are getting more guidance than ever before as they make choices. “We are doing more career planning and placement up front 36 w w w . G eorg ia C o n n ec tor . c om Spr ing 2012

Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce
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