Atlanta Tech Jobs See Future Workforce Grow
More students are preparing for future Atlanta tech jobs.
The Technical College System of Georgia experienced record enrollment this fall. The system's 28 campuses enrolled a total of 110,254 students, a 24 percent increase from last year. The school's previous record was 91,838 students during 2003.
The State of Georgia reported that technical colleges saw an 8 percent increase in traditional students, or those under 21-years old, meaning the majority of enrollment growth came from adults looking to change careers.
"Our enrollment is growing at a record pace because the word is out that a Georgia technical college education is the most direct route to a great job and a long-term career," Ron Jackson, commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "If there's an upside in this down economy, it's that the state's technical colleges are helping tens of thousands of Georgians learn highly marketable skills and find their new place in today's changing workforce."
Technical colleges in the Atlanta area that saw increases in enrollment from fall 2008 to fall of this year include:
- Atlanta Technical by 47 percent
- Chattahoochee Technical by 96 percent
- DeKalb Technical by 21 percent
- Gwinnett Technical by 25 percent
Chattahoochee Technical saw the biggest increase in enrollment as a result of the school's merger with Appalachian Technical College and North Metro Technical College earlier this year. As a whole, the technical college system in the Atlanta area saw a 24 percent increase in enrollment.
The eventual addition of these workers could help the declining economies in Atlanta and Georgia as a whole begin to recover.
During September, Georgia's unemployment rate remained unchanged from August at 10.1 percent, which is slightly higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.8 percent. This is a change from August, when the state saw its unemployment rate decrease from 10.3 percent to 10.1 percent.
The state had a total non-farm employment of 3,838,100 workers during September, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 3,853,600 workers during August and a 6 percent decrease from last year.
The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta area had a total non-farm employment of 2,270,000 workers during September, which is down from 2,280,000 workers during August and a 5.9 percent decrease from last year.