news-record.com

With the economy continuing to sputter and unemployed residents looking to upgrade job skills, GTCC is bracing for a dramatic surge in enrollment this fall.

Early enrollment is running at a pace 30 percent above last year, said Alison Wiers, associate vice president at the college. While officials expect that number to level off somewhat, a conservative estimate is that this fall’s enrollment will jump 13 to 15 percent above 2008, she said. “When tough economic times hit, people go back to school,” Wiers said.

Much of the increase is driven by nontraditional students who have been out of high school for a while and want to enhance their skills.

“We have a lot of folks who have been in the work force for 20 years or so and they’ve been laid off,” she said.

Enrollment at the school has increased in recent years, but on a much more modest scale, ranging from 2 to 7 percent in the past five years, Weirs said. With the increase this year, the number of curriculum students — those working toward a diploma or certificate, as opposed to continuing education students — could jump to 13,000 or more.

The increase comes even as tuition prices are set to jump this fall nearly 20 percent, from $42 to $50 per credit hour for in-state students.

The demand will strain resources at the school. Caught in the state budget crunch, the school is in a hiring freeze for nonfaculty positions. Although GTCC plans to hire 20 or more adjunct professors, Wiers said, faculty and staff will be asked to do more.

“We have asked staff to step up,” she said.

Unemployment in Guilford County continues to climb, hitting 11.3 percent in May. That figure represents nearly double the rate of just one year ago.

The grim economic picture has students hoping that additional skills will pay off.

Penny Walton of Greensboro is working toward her high school equivalency, and ultimately envisions getting into the nursing or culinary professions.

Aries King decided to go through a carpentry program to boost her chances at getting a job.

The 18-year-old Greensboro resident, who has been doing volunteer work building houses, knows finding a job will be tough. Still, she’s pleased with what she’s learned in the program, which she’s set to complete this summer.

“My teacher is a very good instructor,” she said. “I have a lot of hands-on experience with building a house.”

According to the school, this year’s increase will mark the 12th straight year of rising enrollment, which will have doubled since 1997.

Contact Jason Hardin at 373-7021 or jason.hardin@news-record.com