Southwest Provides Quality Education and Workforce Training
Getting a college degree, or even some advanced training, is a challenge for working adults. Hectic work schedules, soaring gas prices, just not enough time in the day … it’s easy to see why Southwest Tennessee Community College is the right answer.
The institution provides a wide range of degree and certificate programs, noncredit and continuing education courses at its multiple campuses, as well as ongoing workshops and seminars of interest to the community. The college, which was born from the consolidation of Shelby State Community College and the State Technical Institute at Memphis in July 2000, offers as diverse a roster of classes as possible while ensuring it maintains rigorous academic standards.
At the same time, the institution is very aware of its role as an economic-development engine for the communities it serves and so is always enhancing its efforts on behalf of area businesses, says Nathan L. Essex, president.
“[The university’s] economic impact is through employing more than 800 faculty and staff members and also in developing a workforce to meet employment needs in biosciences, allied health, business and technologies,” Essex says. “The watchword for any institution of higher education is relevancy. Southwest maintains vibrant programs by developing new and evolving areas of study as well as designing and implementing new technologies for educating students.”
Essex uses Memphis’ continued growth as a major freight-moving center for much of the United States as a real-world example, noting that new methods of distribution such as radio identification tagging and other related technologies challenge the college and its faculty to stay on top of business trends in order to stay relevant in the classroom. That holds true for more traditional fields of employment, such as hospitality and tourism, and the medical industry, as well.
“Southwest’s faculty assumes the responsibility of communicating with local business and industry leaders to remain knowledgeable of current and future skill sets that students must possess as they enter the workforce,” he says. The college is expanding its physical presence in order to fulfill its mission, including the construction of a new technology and educational center in the Germantown/Collierville area; a new center in Fayette County that will provide career and industrial training as well as degree and certificate programs; a new academic building at the Macon campus which will allow for new and expanded programs and house more students; more online courses and an aggressive recruitment and retention plan to attract more high school and older students; and expanded weekend and evening programs.
“Southwest is uniquely positioned as a preferred provider of higher education training for individuals and companies,” Essex says. “Southwest assists individuals and organizations to prosper. The educational resources we offer to our community will attract, grow and retain business in the Memphis economy.”
