Community Resources

Economic Development

The purpose of the Economic Development Department at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College is to meet the training needs of businesses, industries, and individuals throughout the eleven-county service area. The Economic Development Department provides continuing education, contract training, and other services to enhance the skill levels of the area’s workforce.

The department provides short term instruction in areas such as technical, business, industrial, health/safety, childcare, management/supervisory, and leadership. The delivery of this training is offered through either continuing education offerings or contract training opportunities through an employer.

Continuing Education

Continuing Education programs at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College offers courses, workshops, seminars, and special events to meet the lifelong learning needs of the community. These non-credit educational offerings emphasize career development, personal growth, and cultural enrichment and are a significant educational service. Learning formats are designed to assist in updating present occupational skills and to teach new skills for current and projected job requirements. Course offerings may include but are not limited to those in the technical areas of electrical and advanced manufacturing; health/safety areas such as CPR, first aid, blood-borne pathogens, and AED; and business areas such as computer software applications, real estate, customer service, and supervisory and management. Personal enrichment courses such as conversational Spanish, floral design, sign language, and more are offered to individuals who seek learning opportunities. The college also offers courses for Professional Learning Units (PLUs) through the Economic Development Department.

Customized/Contract Training

Customized Contract Training is provided to meet a company’s specific training needs. Through collaboration between the college and the company, a training program is designed to enhance the skill level of a company’s workforce. The programs include but are not limited to training consultation, training analysis, course development, and instruction. Facilities are available on the WGTC campus, or courses can be delivered on site or at another location suitable for the type of training required. The cost for training varies depending upon the complexity of the training. An evaluation is conducted to ensure that the training outcomes meet the objectives of the company.

Georgia Teacher Academy for Preparation and Pedagogy

The Georgia Teacher Academy for Preparation and Pedagogy (GaTAPP) program enables those individuals with a Bachelor’s degree or higher to transition into the teaching profession through an alternative path; an associate degree is acceptable in certain CTAE areas. To be eligible for GaTAPP, the teacher candidate must have secured a provisional teaching position in a P-12 classroom. GaTAPP candidates will begin with a two-week summer course and take various courses/seminars throughout the school year. The non-credit certification program is conducted through extensive training, classroom observations, and field experiences. The program takes 1-3 years to complete all requirements for certification. Wiregrass is approved for the GaTAPP comprehensive path in all subject areas and began its first class on July 8, 2013. However, as an expert in technical and career education, Wiregrass is a leading GaTAPP provider for CTAE teachers and is the only technical college in the state of Georgia to be approved to offer the GaTAPP program.

Application, tuition, and more information can be found at: https://www.wiregrass.edu/academics/gatapp.

For more information, contact Patty Hancock, GaTAPP Coordinator, (229) 333-2100, Ext. 2130 or patty.hancock@wiregrass.edu.