On July 6, 2000, 18 schools in Georgia's technical education system became technical colleges. By the end of FY 01, every school in the system had become, officially, a technical college. The name change was authorized by House Bill 1187, Governor Barnes' A+ Education Reform Act, which also brought formula funding to the system.

Our credit enrollment continued its 10-year record of increases, with final numbers for the year being a record 118,496, a 17% increase from 101,194 in FY 00.

The number of technical college graduates grew 29.6% to 19,832 from 15,304 in FY 00. This year's placement rate ranks with the best, a phenomenal 98% for FY 01.

In FY 01 6,357 students participated in High School/Technical College collaborative programs.

Earnest Dixon, Jr. Goal Winner	The 30th annual Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) program was held in May. GOAL recognizes students for academic excellence and personal achievement. This year's winner, Earnest Dixon, Jr., is from Heart of Georgia Technical College and will serve as an ambassador for technical education in Georgia.	Barbara Jo Cook Rick Perkins Award Winner	Parallel to the GOAL program, the Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction recognizes technical college instructors who make significant contributions to technical education through innovation and leadership in their fields. This year's winner is Barbara Jo Cook from Griffin Technical College.

Based on a 10-year follow-up study of technical college graduates by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, 23% of our graduates start their own businesses. The study also shows that 65% of graduates are employed in special technical, supervisory, advanced technical or management positions. The profile of success story on page 20 is an example of the entrepreneurial spirit of our graduates.

Georgia Virtual Technical College, GVTC, is growing every year. In FY01 enrollment more than tripled to 13,743 from 4,002 in FY00. The number of course offerings grew to 1,151 in FY01.

Our technical colleges' delivery of IT training continues to receive national attention. At the Professional Development Center, the first national Microsoft Academic pilot, 275 certification exams were passed. The students included CIS instructors, DTAE technical support staff, DOE technical staff, GTA staff, and others.

Each college offers a multitude of courses in information technology. Over 100 courses are available for students to advance in the IT field.