GTCC
GTCC
: seeking viable avenues to improve educational access
traditional CIO perspective , bringing outstanding programmes to the school – like 3D printing , autonomous vehicles , blockchain and micro-credentials or microcertifications , Amazon web services ( AWS ) – and I have been partnering with agencies that are geared much more towards the community college environment .”
This innovative development also acts as a bridge between the ‘ community ’ and ‘ technical ’ aspects of GTCC , combining the social orientation of the spirit of a community college with innovation so that both ends of the equation may benefit .
“ We have a large student population who suffer financially ,” says Horn . “ They don ' t have the financial resources that are available to a lot of students in other circumstances . We noticed , especially when the pandemic came around , that there was a large drop-off in a certain male sector of students , and soon discovered that they weren ' t re-enrolling because they had to go back to work , because other household members were now unemployed due to COVID .”
Education and wellbeing Since this realisation , Horn ’ s focus has been on creating viable programmes to counteract and resolve these issues from educational , career , financial and even familial perspectives . He ’ s intent on making college more accessible for those impacted by the pandemic , and those for whom the pandemic highlighted an already-existing conflict between education and financial concerns .
He says : “ Now , with these new courses , a student doesn ' t have to go through a complete two-year programme to earn their certificate ; instead , they can go through these boot-camp-like , condensed courses to generate a nationally recognised certificate , which will enable them to efficiently access gainful employment and
102 July 2022