Swainsboro Technical College

Swainsboro Technical College is a fully-accredited technical college, governed by the Technical College System of Georgia. Located in Swainsboro, it serves Emanuel, Candler, Jenkins, Johnson, and Treutlen counties.

Established in 1963 as the Swainsboro Area Vocational and Technical School, the school opened with 4 programs of study, 7 employees, and an initial enrollment of 32 students. The school was initially given responsibility of serving the citizens of twenty counties, the largest area ever to be served by a technical school in Georgia. With rapid growth, the original building was renovated and an additional building was built in 1978. In 1987, the school converted to state governance as the Department of Technical and Adult Education was formed, and the school changed its name to Swainsboro Technical Institute. In 1988, a building for the newly developed Child Care program was constructed and in 1995, a convert|20000|sqft|m2|sing=on building for health programs, Adult Education, and administrative offices was dedicated. In 2000, as part of then Governor Roy Barnes' Education Reform Act, the college assumed its current name. This name change provides a more accurate labeling for the type of education that the college delivers to the community. Also in 2000, Swainsboro Technical College acquired property that had previously been the local high school and renovated two of the buildings. Swainsboro Technical College opened its newest facility, the Larry J. “Butch” Parrish Technology Center, in the fall of 2003. The Swainsboro Campus now consists of eight buildings on approximately thirty acres of land. [ [http://www.swainsborotech.edu/history.htm History of Swainsboro Tech] ] [ [http://www.swainsborotech.edu/About%20Swainsboro%20Technical%20College.htm About Swainsboro Tech] ] On September 2008, the Board to the TCSG voted to consolidate 14 of its technical colleges to save $3.5 million on its annual budget, with Swainsboro Tech merging with Southeastern Technical College in Vidalia by July 2009, although this decision was met with concern from local leaders in Swainsboro and Emanuel County, believing that the same amount of money could be saved by other means. [ [http://www.myswainsboronews.com/articles/2008/09/24/news/doc48d7c6e1e6501976959819.txt Officials express concerns about Swainsboro Tech-Southeastern Tech merger] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.swainsborotech.edu Swainsboro Technical College Online]