Mission, Vision, & Values

Technical education is a vital component of an individual’s total learning experience. It is a right for every person who needs it, desires it, and can benefit from it. A continuous process that extends from childhood through adulthood, it is designed to develop work attitudes, marketable skills, and applicable knowledge for employment and business ownership. Technical education also includes awareness and exploration of career choices and specialized training.

There are vocational implications in all education, but technical education is best characterized by its purposes and methods. One purpose is to provide economic benefit to the learner by facilitating preparation for employment or business ownership. Another purpose is to provide economic benefits to the community and the state by increasing productivity. Since people spend the larger part of their lives at some form of work, there could be no nobler goal than to provide an opportunity for individuals to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to secure personally satisfying and socially useful careers that lead to personal economic gain and economic benefits to society as a whole.

Mission

Georgia Piedmont Technical College, a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, promotes workforce development within a learner-centered environment through adult education, technical education, and customized business and industry training in DeKalb, Newton, and Rockdale counties. GPTC offers learners the opportunity to enhance, refine, or develop their education, earning associate’s degrees, diplomas, or certificates through traditional and distance delivery methods.

Vision

To create unforgettable learning experiences.

Our vision describes the ideal result of our work. We foster learning among our students and among one another, which makes a positive, lasting impact. If we embrace our values, achieve our goals, and succeed in our mission, our vision will be realized.

Values

Our values are internally held principles from which our culture stems. Our values guide the attitude and intention with which we approach our work.

• Learn
  Be teachable. Use knowledge effectively. Challenge others to learn. Recognize the need for change.

• Serve
  Be mindful of people’s needs. Engage positively when interacting. Be forgiving of inconveniences.

• Lead
  Influence with integrity. Own the work. Respect diversity. Take initiative in developing solutions.

Strategic Goals

These goals will be the focus of our work throughout the next five years. Divisional, departmental, and individual objectives are aligned to these institution-wide initiatives.

Goal I: Promote Student Success

In whatever manner students engage with the college, we will build an environment that supports their success.

• Implement instructional best practices to enhance student
  learning and foster an inclusive learning environment
• Offer educational programs to match the specific needs of the college’s service delivery area with a special emphasis on
  high-demand careers
• Strengthen Adult Education sites
• Develop initiatives to transition students from Adult
  Education to credit-based programs of study
• Initiate a student-centered completion campaign that
  encourage full-time enrollment
• Increase student involvement in clubs and organizations
• Improve the quality of distance education courses
• Identify and develop programs that encourage quick, efficient
  program completion, including distance education offerings
• Evaluate academic program performance to ensure quality, vigor and relevance for the world of work

Goal II: Foster Engagement

Both internally and externally, we will connect with intention and remain unified in pursuit of our mission.

Learner-centered Objectives

• Facilitate a responsive, learner-centered culture that promotes learning, service and leadership
• Engage community partners in developing effective and efficient credit and non-credit programs that support students’ attainment
  of relevant skills
• Strengthen relationships with local school districts to create
  seamless pathways for students

Employer-centered Objectives

• Conduct needs assessment and offer educational programs that
  meet workforce demands of the service delivery area
• Deliver high-quality, customized contract training to enhance
  workforce skills with an emphasis on high-demand career fields

Community-centered Objectives

• Increase visibility of the college in each county served through social media and targeted outreach activities
• Develop and implement recruitment activities targeted to
  introduce middle school and high school students to technical
  education programs with a special emphasis on high-demand
  careers

Employee-centered Objectives

• Promote an environment that supports and recognizes learning, service and leadership, for both full-time and part-time employees
• Invest in professional development activities that are inclusive of all employees
• Establish greater opportunities for employees to participate in decision-making processes
• Provide exemplary orientation for all new employees

Goal III: Strengthen Infrastructure

From physical facilities to processing procedures, we will operate with strength and stability.

• Implement a user-friendly, institutional dashboard for daily,
  monthly and annual reporting functions
• Implement the 2020-2025 Master Plan
• Identify and pursue funding sources beyond state and federal
  allocations to include grants, scholarships and charitable
  donations
• Improve and expand physical facilities to better serve the service delivery area
• Enhance information technology infrastructure to support student learning and operational efficiency
• Enhance Campus Security measures with a special emphasis on
  staffing, training and leveraging technology