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GTI is COE Accredited!!
Posted On:
Wednesday, March 09, 2016
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GADSDEN TECHNICAL INSTITUTE IS AWARDED NATIONAL ACCREDITATION

The Commission of the Council on Occupational Education (COE) has granted accreditation to Gadsden Technical Institute.  Announcement of the action was made by Mr. Al Salazar, Commission Chair, following the COE Winter Commission Meeting of the Council on Occupational Education on February 22, 2016.

The award of accreditation status is based on an evaluation to demonstrate that the institution meets not only the standards of quality of the Commission, but also the needs of students, the community, and employers.

The Commission’s evaluation process includes and extensive self-study by the institution and an intensive review by a visiting team of professional educators representing the Commission’s member institutions from other states.

Gadsden Technical Institute began its self-study in February 2013 and underwent a team visit in May 2015.  The visiting team chair person was Ms. Barbara Witte.

The Council on Occupational Education, based in Atlanta, Georgia, offers quality assurance services to postsecondary technical education providers across the nation.  Organized as a non-profit corporation, the mission of the Council is to assure quality and integrity in Career and Technical Education (CTE).  Services offered include institutional accreditation (recognized by the U.S. Department of Education), program quality reviews for states and technical education providers, and informational services.  Most of the Council’s work is carried out by qualified professional volunteers who are experts in technical education.

Institutional membership in the Council is voluntary, but can be achieved only by becoming accredited.  The Council’s current membership makes it unique.  Members include postsecondary public technical institutes, specialized military and national defense schools, Job Corps Centers, private Career schools, non-profit technical education providers, corporate and industry education units, and federal agency institutions.  No other agency accredits and serves the diversity of organizations served by the Council.

More specifically, obtaining COE accreditation in addition to each of Gadsden Technical program accreditations (e.g. EETC, AWS, AIS, NATEF, and NCCER) allows GTI to 1) apply to receive Federal PELL grant funding, which relieves some of the burden of postsecondary education cost for Gadsden County residents; 2) expand program offerings to more technical Programs of Study such as Pharmacy Technician; and 3) stay abreast of nationwide best practices in Career and Technical Education.

A COE accredited Gadsden Technical Institute makes postsecondary workforce training more accessible to our Gadsden County residents and this speaks directly to the purpose of Gadsden Technical Institute: to provide workforce training opportunities to the residents of Gadsden and surrounding communities.