For the academic year ending September 30, 2019, Albany Technical College is assigned the responsibility of injecting approximately $45 million into the economy of Southwest Georgia. Most of the additional income provided by Albany Technical College’s graduates will be spent in or near Albany. The Technical College System of Georgia’s (TCSG) engagement with Complete College Georgia (CCG), the state’s Complete College America (CCA) affiliate, commits the system to producing an adequate number of technical college graduates on an annual basis. A unit of TCSG, Albany Technical College is empowered to produce at least 1,123 certificate, diploma, and associate degree students during the current academic year.
The concept of accountability for graduating students is not new. Georgia’s post-secondary technical institutions have documented graduation since 1947. CCG requirements were launched by former Governor Nathan Dean in August 2011. Since 2007 Albany Tech exceeded or far exceeded expectations by producing 13,378 graduates who ultimately serve as contributors to the economy of Southwest Georgia. However, our college is still responsible for producing an additional 4,458 graduates by the year 2025. We expect these graduates to contribute an additional $170 million to Georgia’s economy. The income earned by these graduates will be utilized for durable goods, homes, healthcare, clothes and groceries. To date, we are 3,622 graduates ahead of the 2025 schedule. I’m confident that our excellent faculty and student affairs team will see to it we make the mark.
As a consequence of our endeavor to be accountable for providing measurable outcomes we will likely provide 8,000 additional graduates by 2025. Approximately 77 percent will be placed locally. Those graduates will infuse up to $ 320 million annually into the region’s economy.
Our students come from Southwest Georgia, live in Southwest Georgia, and will ultimately contribute millions to the economy of Southwest Georgia. They will also be the catalyst for the creation of jobs that will not likely be outsourced.
Accountability makes our system of colleges stronger and Georgia a more prosperous place to live.