For the 12th consecutive year, Moultrie Technical College’s fall quarter enrollment looks to exceed the previous fall’s numbers – and the counting continues. As of Monday evening, at the close of the College’s late registration day, student enrollment had already seen an 8 percent increase from last year’s seven-day report – a benchmark within the Technical College System of Georgia.

Managing the highest student enrollment in the College’s 45-year history, MTC Registrar Leigh Wallace says there is more to come. MTC’s admissions staff members and faculty members will continue to admit and register students for several more days, even though classes begin Sept. 30.

MTC has already topped its own all-time high enrollment record from 2008 by almost 190 students this quarter with plans to add at least 20 more commercial truck driving program students on its Tifton campus mid-quarter.

The growth from 2,207 students to 2,392 represents the 8 percent increase over the last year at the College’s five campuses during fall quarter in its service area of Colquitt, Tift, Turner and Worth counties and in online studies in which students enroll and take courses from anywhere in the world.

Moultrie Tech continues to be the only technical college in the state to achieve 12 consecutive years of fall quarter enrollment growth, which also adds up to over a 100 percent increase since 1997. The additions and expansions of campuses in Tifton, Ashburn and Sylvester, the construction of the College’s main campus on Veterans Parkway in Moultrie in 2003, and the incentive of convenient online classes and dual enrollment options have attributed to the unprecedented growth since the college opened on Industrial Drive in Moultrie in 1964.

According to MTC Vice President of Student Affairs Scott Hudson, another reason for the enrollment growth is the current economic downturn. He says it has people thinking about increasing their work skills and acting on it by enrolling at Moultrie Tech and other technical colleges across the state.

“As more and more people find themselves out of work or facing layoffs - whether they are seasoned adult learners or recent high school graduates – they see that Moultrie Tech is a great place to reinvent themselves,” says Hudson. “They are coming to us to better themselves, so they can gain valuable skills within a year or two to get the jobs they really want either now or when the employment outlook improves.”

Hudson said Moultrie Tech also has a strong presence in its area high schools, as the College had over 540 dual enrollment students during the 2008-2009 academic year. That number ranks among the highest in the state within the TCSG. Dual enrollment allows students to earn both high school and technical college credit simultaneously.

Moultrie Tech currently offers over 140 associate degree, diploma and technical certificate programs and boasts a 98 percent job placement rate for graduates and those who choose to continue their college careers or enter the military.

MTC also serves more than 7,000 students annually in adult literacy, English as a Second Language, Citizenship and GED testing programs, as well as through continuing education courses and customized business and industry training.