All fifty states have post secondary technical colleges. Their goals are similar with the common theme of training people to qualify for jobs in today's marketplace. For example, the South Carolina Technical College System states on its website its commitment to "helping increase the employability of all South Carolinians by ensuring they are fully prepared for the careers of today and tomorrow."
Technical colleges offer associate degrees and four-year diplomas in technically oriented fields. They set themselves up to accommodate their students' needs, whether that is to feed into traditional state colleges for certain programs or to offer fast track GED programs so students can work on their GED while beginning college. Students take an exam as part of their entry requirements to evaluate their academic strengths and weaknesses. Some pre-college level courses are offered in the academic core courses so students can work on areas that need improvement for their college work.
Technical colleges are generally geared to accommodate students who have families and are currently employed. Courses are offered during the day, in the evenings and online to provide flexibility. Distance learning is another option offered, especially at satellite sites. Technical colleges are constantly evaluating what they offer so as to ensure that only those fields that connect to the marketplace are in the curriculum offerings. Because their goal is to train students to meet current demand, they work to eliminate irrelevant courses.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan wrote in his "Pathways to Prosperity" report Feb. 2, 2011, "The United States has much to learn from other high-performing countries about strengthening and modernizing career and technical education. But one of my favorite examples of the new CTE is homegrown. It comes from Washington State, where the Granite Falls High School Shop Girls built homemade cars focused on fuel-efficient designs. They designed a diesel-powered vehicle that got a staggering 470 miles to the gallon. They called their car the 'Iron Maiden.'" The Iron Maiden won the diesel fuel design competition -- and the cash award that went with it.
These exemplary programs are changing student's lives for the better."