Technical College is Workforce Training Asset
Published Dec 02, 2008
With about 4,500 students, Florence-Darlington Technical College is at work training the Pee Dee Region’s workers of today and tomorrow.
Students at FDTC are learning to tweak a Caterpillar diesel engine, nurse a patient back to health, repair an air conditioner, balance the books and acquire a host of other job-ready skills.
“All of the health-care programs are in continuous demand. In Florence, we have a large medical community serving the medical needs of about 11 counties,” says Charles Gould, FDTC president.
The college also boasts one of the largest welding schools on the East Coast.
Classes are available on six campuses and online.
“We have a continuous increase in our online classes. Roughly 30 percent of our students take at least one online course, and with the price of gas and the economy the way it is, we are expecting a jump in that,” Gould says, adding that the college has seen a marked increase in students choosing FDTC for their first two years before moving on to a baccalaureate institution.
FDTC is an integral member of the Pee Dee Region’s economic development team, providing existing and potential business and industry customized training. The college’s offer to specially configure 12 classrooms for the training of new Monster employees helped lure the online job giant to Florence.
“We were at the table from the beginning, so the commitment could be made immediately,” Gould recalls. “That helps make a company feel a lot more secure that you can deliver what you’re promising.”
Story by Sharon H. Fitzgerald
Photo by Todd Bennett
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