Albany Tech seeks funding for veterans transition center
File Photo: Alan Mauldin
By Alan Mauldin
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ALBANY — The state of Georgia was the home to nearly 700,000 veterans in 2022, and southwest Georgia has a large veterans population, especially in Dougherty, Lee, Grady, Mitchell and Seminole counties, according the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
With those statistics in mind, Albany Technical College is looking to implement a program to help veterans who are transitioning to civilian life.
As part of its request to state lawmakers, the college has included a proposal to construct a veterans education career transition resource (VECTR) center. If approved, the center would be placed on the former youth detention center property on Newton Road that Albany Tech plans to renovate as a law enforcement training center.
The price tag for both projects is $17.2 million.
There are currently VECTR centers in Warner Robins and Marietta, and the southern portion of the state would be a good fit for a third, Albany Tech President Emmett Griswold said.
“The one we visited in Warner Robins is a hangout spot for veterans,” he said. “They come in the morning and drink coffee and tell old war stories. We want that to be the same feeling here. Veterans can hang out, help one another and also reach out and secure resources.”
As part of the transition targeted for a period of three to six months, Albany Tech would focus on short-term certificate programs.
Students can complete a commercial driver’s certificate in eight weeks, and a nurse aide program takes seven weeks to complete, Griswold said.
“These individuals look for training when they leave the military,” he said. “We feel like we have the capability to offer them the opportunity to retire in southwest Georgia.”
Families of veterans and military members also would be eligible for the VECTR program.
There are more than 3,000 veterans in the college’s service area, and VECTR centers attract returning veterans from all over the world, the ATC president said, so there could be an international component.
Attracting retired military members to the community is also a good way to recruit quality employees to the region, Griswold said.
“It’s a marketing tool that works to recruit active military and veterans from across the country to the community,” he said.
The law enforcement center would train police officers, 911 operators, jailers and would include jail space from the former detention facility, a courtroom space, wellness center and indoor weapons simulator.
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