Members of the Washington County, Florida School Board met in a special workshop in the District offices in downtown Chipley on Thursday, January 3, 2019 to discuss the current needs of the Florida Panhandle Technical College campus and the needs of the business community for skilled tradespeople, many of whom can be generated from that college campus.
Damages caused by October’s Hurricane Michael, coupled with the need for facility updates, along with the obvious role the technical college system plays in furnishing skilled workers, all combined to provide the setting for Thursday’s meeting, in which aerial photographs of the college campus were used to start the conversation about enhanced programs and instruction.
Florida Panhandle Technical College Director Martha Compton was given the green light by Superintendent of Schools Joe Taylor and the sitting School Board members to proceed with the development of additional programs providing skilled persons for the workforce, and for which there are existing facilities and the availability of instructors.
‘Parts of the college campus infrastructure are over 50 years old’, pointed out Superintendent Joe Taylor, ‘and it’s time that we looked at a comprehensive plan on how to best move forward with the facility’.
An expanded health care program was discussed as an obvious direction to take on the campus, along with the expansion of several building industry programs, including HVAC (air conditioning), welding, plumbing, electrical and others, some of which already exist on the campus.
‘I have spoken to many in Bay County who indicate we are looking at a 10-15 year build-out for repairing the infrastructure of that area’, said board member Vann Brock, ‘and I daresay that the industry can make use of any skilled and certified building tradespeople that we can furnish’.
The next step for the School District is advertising for an architectural firm with whom the school board can consult and develop a long-term master plan for the school campus, located in downtown Chipley, Florida.
‘We need to make the college irresistible to our high school students and the community’, pointed out board member Will Taylor, in reference to the dual-enrollment system in place, allowing current high school students to attend certification classes at the college, giving them a jump on a career.
‘I am excited by the enthusiasm with which the School Board members greeted our broad proposal’, said Compton, ‘and I look forward to working with our college staff to enhance our offering to the community and the workforce’.
