Living Jackson Magazine

Lanier Technical College

Jackson County’s own campus boasts a placement rate of almost 100 percent; offering residents academic opportunities and businesses an educated and well-trained workforce.

By Caine Campbell

A scant number of miles from the Jackson County line are the University of Georgia and a campus of Piedmont College, affording nearby access to hundreds of post-secondary programs. In another direction and at short distance are Gainesville College and Brenau University in Gainesville.

Within Jackson County itself is a post-secondary institution, a campus of Lanier Technical College. For people in our county, therefore, opportunities abound for proceeding to a higher level of education.

Distance not being a factor, here are the questions the prospective student may want answered:

Can I get in?

Can I afford it?

Can I attend at a time of day suitable to me?

Will my learning match the needs of industry?

If you aim to take classes at Lanier Tech, the answer to the first question can be resolved easily in a short session with a counselor at the campus in Commerce.

At Lanier Tech, the simple answer to the cost question is “Yes.” A variety of financial aids come your way. There’s the Hope Grant, which is obtained by 85 percent of Lanier Tech students. In addition you can seek a Hope Scholarship, or a Pell Grant. Some industries, such as Mission Foods, will pay the cost for its employees to attend under some circumstances.

Just obtaining aid should not be your only objective. You should be seeking grants and scholarships rather than loans. At some colleges, students receive a high proportion of aid in the forms of loans, which may run to thousands of dollars, and then are burdened for years with repayment obligations. Again, the basic answer at Lanier Tech is “Yes.” In all likelihood, you can indeed afford it, and you may pay none of the tuition yourself.

Another easy “Yes” is Lanier Tech’s answer to your question about class timing. Most if not all of the classes you seek will be offered after hours, that is, after your work hours.

Your learning will indeed match the needs of industry, most likely matching needs of industry right in Jackson County. That match is not a happenstance. Lanier Tech offers instruction in skills that are known to be needed. Besides that, the school will provide courses on demand to meet specific needs of local industry.

Tech’s placement rate is a more specific answer to the “match-up” question. In the most recent period, the placement rate was 99.8 percent. Well, that’s not perfect, but it’s close! It also, remarkably, is the lowest placement rate ever experienced at Jackson County’s Lanier Tech.

There is absolutely no question about matching industry needs on an occasion when a firm requests specific training for its employees. Lanier Tech responds with what is called “spot training,” with the costs paid by the employer.

Long ago it became a commonplace to assert that industry will be attracted to locales where there is an educated workforce. Note, however, that education, like the rolling waters of North Georgia rivers, does not stand still. In contemporary industry, the missions of companies and factories may change. Employers want more than an educated workforce; they want to be near the services of an institution such as Lanier Tech so their employees can receive industry-specific training, and, when necessary, training in newly introduced procedures.

The best example to cite at this point is Lanier Tech’s newly introduced program in industrial maintenance. It is now being offered on the Jackson County campus, teaching students the methods for servicing machines used in industry. Some of the students will use their newly acquired skills at Huber Engineered Woods, a company in Commerce that is engaged in the manufacture of wood products.

If we were able to see the face of Lanier Tech in Jackson County, we would see the members of advisory councils composed of Jackson County citizens who serve to help steer the institution into educational programs where there is contemporary need for the skills gained by students. We would see the dedicated teaching faculty. We would see the students. Surely we would see the countenance of Dr. Howard Ledford, Campus Coordinator. With a master’s and a doctoral degree from the University of Georgia, he exudes an enthusiasm for Lanier Tech’s work with students and Jackson County industry that is an unmistakable asset for the institution. His vision for Lanier Tech’s role has brought it far and presages a future that will ensure a Jackson County treasure in the field of postsecondary education.

Other campuses of Lanier Technical College are located in Dawson, Forsyth, Oakwood-Hall, and Winder-Barrow. As well as serving students in their respective areas, they provide the potential for enlarging and diversifying academic opportunities for students who enroll at the Jackson County campus.

My suggestion to the reader who wants to prepare for a job in technical work or for a different, more rewarding job than the one now held, is to go as soon as possible to the campus, located in Commerce at 631 South Elm St., near the intersection with Highway 441. You will be welcomed and you will be provided with information on all of the programs available and the financial aid available to you. A short jaunt to the Lanier Tech location can be the beginning of a satisfying career journey.

Caine Campbell is a recognized authority on postsecondary education. For 24 years he worked in teaching, research and academic leadership at Auburn University; he also served as president of the Alabama Association of College Administrators and on the board of the American Association of University Administrators.

For More Information

Learn more about Lanier Technical College by visiting online at www.laniertech.edu.