Technical colleges have evolved from their origins.
Technical colleges are regional higher education institutions offering certificates and two-year degrees for professional technical subjects. The first technical colleges offered degrees and certificates in subjects such as computer hardware maintenance and electronics, construction trades (e.g., welding and pipefitting), nursing and criminal justice. Today, technical colleges have increased offerings to include a wider array of subjects but continue to focus on professional technical needs. In many areas, the term technical college has become synonymous with community college and junior college.
History
State and local governments started to recognize the need for technical colleges in the early 1900s. Wisconsin enacted legislation adult and technical education in 1911 and opened the country's first public technical institute, Racine Technical Institute, the same year.
Growth in the 1960s
Technical colleges became more widespread in the 1960s with the need to address vocational and technological jobs with the country's changing industrial economy. For example, South Carolina created its technical education system in 1961 as a means to retrain workers because of job loses in the textiles and agricultural fields. That led to institutions such as the Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College opening doors to help traditional and nontraditional students in 1968.
Serving Specific Needs
Some technical colleges were created to address specific community and regional needs. United Tribes of North Dakota Development Corp. founded the United Tribe Technical College in 1969 to give local Native Americans skills to be hired at local jobs. The tribes included the Three Affiliated Tribes, the Spirit Lake Tribe, the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.
Statewide Systems
While some states helped communities establish separate, autonomous technical colleges, others such as Indiana create one statewide college. Ivy Tech Community College, which started as Indiana Vocational Technical College in 1963, operates 23 campuses around the state and host courses in 60 other locations. Like other technical colleges, Ivy Tech has grown from its technical course origins to also teach classes in business, general education, health sciences, public services, technology, and arts and design. It's regional corporate and continuing education services staff works with Indiana businesses to offer training, re-training and continuing education in response to specific company needs.
Private For-Profits
One of the most prominent private for-profit technical colleges, ITT Technical Institute, has been around since 1969 and offers bachelor degree programs on site and online. These schools offer subjects such as information technology in computer network systems, software applications and web development; computer drafting, graphic design, construction management; business accounting technology and administration; and health information technology. Some bachelor's degree programs offered by these colleges include information systems security, data communication systems, software engineering technology, industrial automation engineering technology, digital entertainment and game design, graphic design, business project management, and criminal justice cyber security.
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