Savannah Tech to offer career training for GED® -prep students

#1406 | August 6, 2013

Welding is one of the two career training opportunities for GED-prep students this fall at Savannah Technical College.

SAVANNAH – Savannah Technical College is offering 30 GED^®-prep students the opportunity to begin training in welding or industrial systems this fall at the Savannah campus.

The College was selected as one of a few technical colleges in Georgia to offer this program through Accelerating Opportunity (AO). This initiative provides students, returning to school to obtain their GED^® at select Georgia technical colleges, the opportunity to earn post-secondary credentials in high-demand occupations through dual enrollment.

To accommodate this class of 15 welding students, the College is expanding its capacity by adding 16 new welding booths – 15 for the AO students plus an overflow booth for training. Students in the Industrial Systems program will learn skills to work as an electrical maintenance engineer. Careers in welding and industrial systems are considered to be “family-sustaining wage” jobs that start at $12/hour with benefits or $15/hour without benefits.

Traditionally, students earn a GED^® prior to enrolling in courses that lead to a degree or certificate. Through Accelerating Opportunity, funded by Jobs for the Future, students enrolled in a GED^® program will simultaneously enroll in technical instruction. These students will be enrolled in GED^®-prep classes, while accelerating their training for work. The collaboratively taught classes integrate basic skills with practical, occupational training that build toward degrees and/or certificates. Students will work with a career navigator that will help them succeed in the program, overcome obstacles, and ultimately graduate with the credentials.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a person with a high school or GED^® credential earns $10,000 more per year than a non-high school graduate. The income level increases substantially more for those who go on to complete a college certificate, diploma or degree program. There are more than one million Georgians who are 25 years of age or older and do not have a high school education or GED^® diploma. Adult education classes for GED^®-prep are currently free for all U.S. citizens.

Savannah Tech’s Adult Education Program serves those who need to improve their basic literacy and math skills, improve their oral and written English, practice for the GED^® test to attain a high school equivalence degree, and prepare for college. Instructors also help students with science and social studies test preparation for GED^® testing.

Savannah Technical College teaches adult education classes in Bryan, Chatham, Effingham and Liberty Counties with multiple locations in each community. For more information about GED^® classes at Savannah Tech or the Accelerating Opportunity program, please contact STC’s Dean of Adult Education Brent Stubbs at bstubbs@savannahtech.edu or 912.443.5352.

About Accelerating Opportunity

Georgia is one of 11 states awarded grants from Jobs for the Future with the goal of becoming a national leader in adult education innovation. Without a high school diploma or GED, adults cannot pursue post-secondary educational opportunities that are critical for today’s job market.

Recognizing this need, TCSG applied for the three-year Accelerating Opportunity grant. The grant design team included representatives from the TCSG Technical Education Division, TCSG College leadership and faculty, Georgia Department of Labor, Local Workforce Investments Boards, TCSG College Business Advisory Committees, and relevant employers/employer associations. When Georgia was awarded the grant, it joined a national learning network of Accelerating Opportunity states.

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STC GED^® Classes | Accelerating Opportunity Program Contact:
STC’s Dean of Adult Education Brent Stubbs
bstubbs@savannahtech.edu or 912.443.5352.

Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu