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Trends In Education
EDUCATION
hearing about the programs they have, my cousin, who’s an
educator in another part of the state, said, ‘It is what many
school districts in Florida wish they had!’”
This is just one such accolade by those who have either
visited the college, attended classes or been a part of its
development.
NAME CHANGES
TCTC’s roots began in 1970 as Adult and Community Education;
it then changed to the Technical Center for Career and
Adult Education in 2014.
“The name was changed again in 2018 to incorporate the
word ‘college’ as 46 out of the 49 technical centers in Florida
now use college in their name,” says Shields, who was the
initiator of the new branding.
The name upgrade coincided with a move from a location
behind the Freshmen Learning Center by Vero Beach High
School to its present location at 4680 20th Court, just steps
from Gifford Middle School.
Addressing the school as a college reflects the vision of
bringing vocational schools, job training or adult education to
a legitimate educational value. There is a call to have students
look for alternative ways in thinking about education to find
employment that no longer uses four-year degrees as the
standard path.
“Most jobs require some training beyond high school,” says
Shields. “This is where technical colleges provide a vital role
in developing and training the local workforce and doing it
in a relatively short amount of time.”
Laura Zorc, chair of the Indian River County School Board,
is a huge supporter of the high tech, modern facility. >> Principal Christi Shields with Vice Principal Latanya Ross.
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