Preparing TTC Students For Success

The Technology Foundations Lab at the Tennessee Technology Center at Elizabethton, pictured above, is a bee hive of student activity buzzing each school day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday-Friday.

The Tennessee Board of Regents requires each student who enrolls in full-time training programs at TTC-Elizabethton to undergo an assessment of skills in reading, math and locating information in the Tech Foundations Lab.  If deficiencies are found, an individual lab schedule will be developed to meet the student’s learning objectives.  Students attend the Tech Foundations program as part of their instructional day. 

“The purpose is to improve skill levels to increase student performance in technical training programs, as well as help students obtain necessary skills for gainful employment,” said Patricia Roark, lab coordinator. No student is to receive a Certificate or Diploma Award without a passing grade in the Tech Foundations program, according to the TBR.

Students may also enroll in the Tech Foundations program for personal educational development, compass prep classes, or in preparation for taking the GED test, which is also administered once each month at TTC-Elizabethton. Applications for the GED test are available at local adult education centers in Carter, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties.

The only full-time training programs at TTC-Elizabethton that currently require either a high school diploma or GED are Business Systems Technology, Electricity-Electronics, Pipefitting and Plumbing and Practical Nursing. However, all students attending TTC-Elizabethton are encouraged to have a high school diploma or GED.

Once students complete full-time training programs at TTC-Elizabethton after 12 to 20 months of study, they are eligible to take the National Career Readiness Certificate test in the Tech Foundations Lab.  Certificates are awarded in Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum categories based on student competency levels.

Career Readiness Certificate program is sponsored by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. “It is a portable credential recognized by employers throughout the United States,” according to Dean Blevins, director of TTC-Elizabethton.

“The Tech Foundations Lab plays a crucial role in preparing students to be successful in the training program they select at TTC-Elizabethton. Our job is not done until our graduates are employed in their chosen field of study,” Blevins said.

For additional information, contact TTC-Elizabethton, 423-543-0070, 1-888-986-2368 (toll free).