James_Sept-Oct_2025_web - Flipbook - Page 54
Technical Education is Not
a Second Choice
The state’s Technical College
System has changed a lot since
Allen started more than 30 years
ago. “When I started, there was
very much the prevailing perspective that what we do in technical
education was somehow a second
choice,” said Allen. “It was not
viewed at the time as a first choice.”
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Yet central Georgia has always been a little different though
because it is one of the best places
in the country for graduates to use
a degree from a technical college.
“I was very fortunate because the
college is in a base town,” he noted.
Our technical college was purposefully and intentionally connected
in many ways to Robins Air Force
Base (RAFB), which is Georgia’s
largest industrial complex with
around 25,000 people serving our
nation on that base. So the need for
skilled labor to support America’s
mission in defense was prevalent.”
The college has three parts to
their mission: credit instruction,
adult education and economic
development. They served in the
last academic year more than
60,000 unique individuals. Their
reach is all over the state, with
students from 140 of Georgia’s 159
counties and as well as 36 other
states and 13 countries. A new recognition of those opportunities at
RAFB, along with changing trends
in workforce development, has
reversed course for those views on
technical colleges.
“By and large, our students now
see what we do at Central Georgia
Tech as a first choice. There was
always a healthy respect for skilled
labor and for technical education.
