About GNTC
Our Mission
Georgia Northwestern Technical College, a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, promotes community, educational, and economic development by providing a skilled workforce throughout the communities of northwest Georgia. The college achieves its mission by supporting student success and providing quality technical and academic instruction through traditional and distance education delivery methods leading to associate degrees, diplomas, and technical certificates of credit programs, as well as through customized business and industry training, and adult education services.
Our Purpose
Georgia Northwestern Technical College exists to provide education and skills training for the benefit of our community.
Our Core Values
Excellent Quality - No matter how good our products, processes, services, and performance, we are dedicated to making them better. We are committed to a process of continuous improvement in everything we do by being open to new ideas and better ways of working.
Customer Service - We define success as exceeding our customer expectations. Each member of the GNTC team is a customer service agent and our commitment begins with understanding customer needs. It is realized through the design and delivery of our services and the personal support we provide. Each contact with a customer is an opportunity to increase customer satisfaction and win new business.
Integrity - As individuals and as an organization, we do the right things and never compromise our values. We honor our agreements and are open with our communications. Our relationships with our customers, partners, co-workers, and the community are based on openness and opportunities for mutual gain.
Teamwork - We recognize that our people make GNTC what it is and are the key to its future. By fostering an environment of encouragement and growth, we help our people reach their potential. Our focus on teamwork extends to collaborative efforts with our clients, partners, and the community. Each of us needs all of us in order to succeed.
Respect - We are committed to treating each other with mutual respect, promoting an atmosphere of community inside GNTC, and extending it to our customers. We will hold ourselves to the highest standards of professionalism and behavior.
Our Vision
Community Focus - GNTC is built upon a close relationship with the community and a commitment to be responsive to community needs. GNTC meets the unique needs of each community in Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Murray, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield counties while helping citizens, companies, and communities benefit from working together. GNTC helps communities by providing skilled technical program graduates, training services for local companies, and adult education services to develop literate families and workers. GNTC will reach out to all nine counties in the service area while working to enhance the larger community. GNTC’s purpose will continue to be community development through workforce development.
Quality Technical Programs and Services - GNTC will offer a comprehensive range of quality, high-demand associate degree nursing, an associate of applied science degree, technical diploma, and technical certificate of credit programs to prepare students for careers. The college will be recognized as the premier training center in Northwest Georgia for industrial technologies, healthcare technologies, business technologies, and public service technologies.
Student-Oriented Learning - Instruction and all other activities at GNTC are student-centered. GNTC faculty will provide instruction that enables students to become proficient professionals in their chosen fields of study. Faculty will be highly qualified and will be real-world professionals who will help students to bridge the gap between classroom instruction and real-world applications.
Seamless and Accessible Education - A collaborative relationship among high schools, GNTC, and other colleges will provide students with opportunities to make seamless educational transitions. GNTC will place emphasis on enrolling Dual Enrollment students in technical programs and on distance education to make instruction more accessible.
Business Partnerships - An active relationship between businesses and GNTC will continue to grow. Credit programs will be developed and offered to meet business and industry needs, and noncredit customized training, human resource development services, and technology transfer services will be specifically designed to meet the needs of individual companies and consortia of companies with similar needs.
History of the College
In 2008, the State Board of Technical and Adult Education approved the merger of Coosa Valley Technical College and Northwestern Technical College which became effective July 1, 2009. Individually, the two colleges have long, meaningful histories. The following histories of the two technical colleges demonstrate the impact of the colleges and how important training and educational opportunities have been and will continue to be to the citizens of northwest Georgia.
Coosa Valley Technical College was established in 1962 in the city of Rome, Floyd County, Georgia. In 1989, the Adult Education program was added. The Gordon County Campus was added in Calhoun, Georgia in 1997. The Polk County Campus, located in Rockmart, was added in 1998. In 2008, the Aviation Training Center at the Richard B. Russell Regional Airport in Rome was added. In December 2006, Coosa Valley Technical College became accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
Northwestern Technical College was established off Highway 27 in Walker County, Georgia, in 1964. In 1989, the Adult Education program was added. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges initially accredited Northwestern Technical College in 1997; reaffirmation occurred in 2002.
Georgia Northwestern continued to expand after the merger. GNTC opened the Woodlee Culinary Arts Center in 2010.
In 2011, the Technical College System of Georgia announced Murray and Whitfield counties would become part of the GNTC service area. The Whitfield Murray Campus, located in Dalton, began instruction in fall 2011. The Adult Education program for these counties was awarded to GNTC in 2014.
In January 2011, GNTC held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new 46,000 square foot Administration and Classroom Building on the Gordon County Campus.
In June 2013, the State Properties Commission approved the purchase of land on Alabama Highway/Georgia 151 and Holcomb Road for the construction of the GNTC Catoosa County Campus. Instruction began in fall 2016.
In September 2019, GNTC celebrated the completion of a major campus addition with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the new 80,000 square foot administrative and classroom facility located at the Whitfield Murray Campus.
Today, Georgia Northwestern Technical College serves the nine counties of Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Murray, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield. GNTC is the largest college in Northwest Georgia and is one of the largest technical colleges in the state of Georgia with six campus locations in Catoosa, Floyd, Gordon, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield counties.
With its history of continued growth, close relationship to the community, and customized training to meet the needs of local businesses and industries, GNTC will continue to grow and provide leadership in workforce development in northwest Georgia.
