Trident Technical College boasts highest enrollment numbers as more people seek new skills

When Edward Anderson’s electronics manufacturing job moved overseas, he enrolled at Trident Technical College to pursue a lifelong dream of working in criminal justice.

Anderson, 39, hopes to first become a police officer, then work in the park service as a ranger or manager.

“Anything in criminal justice isn’t going to get outsourced to another country,” he said.

Many students like Anderson, who lost long-term jobs and need training for new careers, are enrolling at Trident.

Last fall, 12,763 students signed up, marking the largest enrollment the school has ever had. Enrollment for spring semester was 12,543, up 10 percent from spring last year, and the school’s second largest enrollment. College officials said enrollment generally decreases in the spring, but the drop this spring was quite small.

More students also are attending classes full time, they said.

Trident President Mary Thornley attributes much of the growth to the economic downturn. But the college has been making improvements over the past several years that have allowed the school to accommodate more students, she said.

For instance, more classes are available online. And the college has created partnerships with other institutions that allow it to expand.

The college’s cosmetology program has a waiting list, she said. So the school used space at the Dorchester County Career School to offer the program to more technical college students.

“Taxpayers ought to smile when they see that,” Thornley said.

The college had to accommodate growth in many of its programs, but some with the largest increases include criminal justice, emergency medical technology, health care, business and university transfer options.

Anderson pays his school expenses with retraining money he receives through a federal program because his job was moved overseas.

But Thornley said most students don’t have such resources and rely heavily on tuition assistance from the South Carolina Education Lottery to pay tuition bills.

That assistance has become “not just a shot in the arm but essential medicine,” Thornley said.

When people are looking for career skills, she said, Trident can give them what they need.

“People are taking advantage of bad times to improve their lives,” Thornley said. “We’re part of the solution.”

GOING BACK TO SCHOOL?
• Contact the admissions office at the college you hope to attend to learn what you need to do to enroll.
• Contact the financial aid office to get information about fees and financial assistance.
• Explore career information or see a counselor to learn about your chosen program of study before you enroll.
• Understand the time commitment for college. You will need to do more work outside class than in class.
• Set short-term and long-term goals when you’re getting started. For example, a long-term goal might be a career change from the construction to the information and technology field. But a short-term goal might be to complete one information and technology class.