 | ||||||
 |
BY R. A. ROBERTS Newnan resident Michael Mayo knew that computer courses were being offered at West Central Technical College in Carrollton, about 20 miles away, just as he knew that taking one would help him become a better telecommunications technician with Newnan Utilities. However, his job and family responsibilities—his wife, Jennifer, and he have a three-year-old son, Caleb—were so time-consuming that he dismissed the idea of ever enrolling. But the October 2000 opening of a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineering laboratory at Coweta County’s Central Educational Center, which includes a satellite branch of West Central Tech, has meant that Mayo can learn the latest networking technology and still find time for Caleb. In late February, he successfully completed a 30-hour course in NT 4.0; in March, he started the certification process for Windows 2000.  The new lab “is extremely convenient for me, and I’m thrilled to death it’s here,” says Mayo, 30, whose employing company installs e-mail and Internet systems for businesses, using broad band and fiber optic cables. “It opens up the opportunity to take the classes, something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.” The MCSE lab came about through a $38,700 gift from Newnan native James Thomasson and a matching grant from the state’s Department of Technical and Adult Education. Since it began in July 1999, the technical college matching-grant program has generated $8.8 million statewide for the technical college system. The program focuses on acquiring instructional equipment, forming partnerships with business and industry and providing an incentive for donors to support technical colleges. The Newnan Microsoft lab opened in October with 14 computer workstations, and 14 more soon will be coming to the Central Educational Center, an educational facility in Newnan that serves many different populations in the community.
Housed in a renovated middle school, the center was founded after three years of meetings and discussions between local and state educational officials and local business leaders who complained that the higher level of skilled labor needed for the new economy had not yet been created. “The center functions as a charter high school during the day, drawing students from across the county for its technical and college prep courses. But this one doesn’t shut its doors at four o’clock,” says Janet Ayers, president of West Central Tech. Its typical evening high school program student is usually 16 to 20 years old and unable to attend during the day because of work conflicts. “The school also features adult education and GED classes, non-credit continuing education courses and special employee training opportunities for local businesses and industries. Various certification programs are offered through West Central Tech, both during the day and at night,” says Ayers.
In explaining why he gave almost $40,000 to the center, Thomasson, an Emory graduate, says he wanted Coweta County to have a good technical school, with training in computer technology. “I wanted the residents of the county to have access to as many resources as possible.” Based in Newnan, Thomasson’s company, Myrtle Tech, is a network integrator that installs and supports computer networks for businesses across North America. At this time, Thomasson has not yet needed to hire a program graduate, but he’s hoping that as more residents earn Microsoft certifications and the network-savvy workforce in Newnan grows, general business companies using technology, such as exchange servers, will choose to locate in Coweta County. When they do, the center’s computer engineers will be ready for them.
| |||||
“The instructor-led Microsoft classes currently are offered in the evening,” says Jim Winchester, West Central Tech’s director of continuing education. “Plans are underway to make the network training available to high school students as well,” says Janie Lore, who directs the high school program.
