Economic Development News

May 18, 2024 CONYERS, GA - Georgia Piedmont Technical College on Saturday held its commencement ceremony to honor students from the most recent academic year. An estimated 1,088 students from Summer 2023, Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 met the qualifications for this graduation. Among the throngs of loved ones, GPTC faculty and staff, and the graduates themselves, there was a very special guest -- Piedmont the Lion, or Monty, for short. Monty is Georgia Piedmont's first mascot! He got the crowd...

MILWAUKEE, WI & CLARKSTON, GA May 9, 2024 – Officials with Johnson Controls, Inc. toured Georgia Piedmont Technical College’s (GPTC) Clarkston campus with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and first lady Marty Kemp on Thursday to demonstrate the investments made in the school’s technical training programs and to dedicate state-of-the-art learning spaces. GPTC is a recipient of the Johnson Controls Community College Partnership Program, which directly addresses the need for skilled trade...

CLARKSTON, GA - Students from Georgia Piedmont Technical College showed off their skills and knowledge at the annual state SkillsUSA competition Thursday and Friday and came home with five medals. Team GPTC netted two gold medals, one silver, and two bronze. Students competing were: Rebekkah Richardson/Esthetics, Elizabeth Putman/Cosmetology, Naeema James & Marcilla Johnson/Job Interview, Kori Turner/Early Childhood, Darsheuna Dumas/Practical Nursing, Michael Jackson/HVAC, Allison...

CLARKSTON, GA - Hailing from multiple programs that include automotive technology, air conditioning technology, interdisciplinary studies, computer information systems and many more, fourteen students at Georgia Piedmont Technical College are getting a financial boost for the spring semester. The $11,300 in funds come in the form of scholarships managed through the GPTC Foundation and part of their application process, students must provide a photo and write a thank you letter to the...

CLARKSTON, Ga. -- A home-schooled 20-year-old with nine siblings and a former bartender and sommelier have been named the student and teacher of the year for Georgia Piedmont Technical College. 2024 GOAL winner Allison Hammer Medical assisting student and 2024 Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) winner for Georgia Piedmont, Allison "Ally" Hammer of Covington, calls herself "number four in the lineup" of ten children; she has five sisters and four brothers. Hammer jokes that she...

CLARKSTON, GA – Georgia Piedmont Technical College is pleased to announce that adult education student Derick Wimbley of DeKalb County has been selected as one of eight state finalists for the Exceptional Adult Georgian in Literacy Education (EAGLE) program. Wimbley was one of the first students at Georgia Piedmont Technical College’s Adult Education division who completed the newly- implemented Career Plus program. Wimbley enrolled in Spring of 2023 and earned his high school diploma...

CLARKSTON, GA - A company that places employees in specialized fields like manufacturing, healthcare, information technology and others saw the potential in investing in Georgia Piedmont's adult education program to help build the future workforce. On Tuesday, Softpath System, LLC presented the Georgia Piedmont Technical College Foundation with a check for $2,760. The Foundation will, in turn, provide vouchers that will help more than a dozen adult ed students cover the cost of their GED...

CLARKSTON, GA - Georgia Piedmont Technical College celebrated its faculty, staff and donors in true Oscar-type fashion on December 1. The daytime event dubbed The Montys - a Celebration of Excellence was complete with a red carpet, student paparazzi, live entertainment, an awards ceremony and amazing lunch, folks decked out in their best cocktail attire and much more. Several GPTC employees were announced as winners of various categories; all were based on employees' votes. The...

CLARKSTON, GA - When 48-year-old Guillermo Pagotto of Atlanta and his family of four moved from Argentina to Georgia in May of 2022, it was a whirlwind. His wife was transferred with her company; they needed to find good schools, a home, and a way for Guillermo to continue his engineering and manufacturing knowledge in a new career. Guillermo Pagotto came to the United States with 20 years' experience in manufacturing and industrial engineering, an MBA in business, and operation management...

SAVANNAH, GA - The Board of Trustees for the Georgia Piedmont Technical College Foundation has been recognized as one the best of the best in the state technical college foundation system. At a conference in Savannah recently, the group was honored with a Role Model Board distinction. In order to qualify for this award, the Foundation's Board of Trustees much meet certain criteria that include participating in advanced training and professional development, serving as a scholarship...

SAVANNAH, GA - Georgia Piedmont Technical College's alumni Teresa Watson is making her alma mater proud. That's because Watson was named as one of the outstanding alumni of the Technical College System of Georgia at a recent conference in Savannah. Watson is a graduate of the commercial truck driving program at Georgia Piedmont and has since founded her own transportation company, TRJ Transportation, Inc. In an application letter nominating Teresa Watson, GPTC President Dr. Tavarez Holston...

CLARKSTON, GA - A total of 19 students at Georgia Piedmont Technical College will be getting a big financial boost this semester, thanks to scholarships awarded through the school's foundation. With nearly 70 percent of the student body at GPTC qualifying for the Pell federal grant, which is primarily based on financial need, these extra dollars can go a long way. The Georgia Piedmont Technical College Foundation awarded 11 scholarships to 19 students for the current (fall) semester. The...