Welcome to TTC Paris

“A national model for technical education which is catching the attention of organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,:  is how James King, Vice-Chancellor for Technical Education describes the 27  Technology Centers across the state of Tennessee in opening remarks during the 40^thanniversary celebration of the local Center on Thursday, March 8. Speaking to a room full of retirees, faculty, staff and students of the Tennessee Technology Center at Paris, King also noted the contributions of former Director, the late Jimmie Pritchard in making the Paris Campus a leader across the state.

Some other special guests for the event included Ann Neese Walker and Dian Neese Jordan, daughters of the late State Representative, W. J. Neese, for whom the local campus is named.

In addition, Dr. Bruce Blanding, president of Jackson State Community College and Carl Holder, Paris city manager spoke on the state and local impact of the Center.

In addition to the speakers, several presentations were made. Dr. Bradley W. White, Driector of the Center and Willie Huffman, Assistant Director, unveiled  plaques honoring Outstanding Alumni, retired employees and SkillsUSA medalists. The plaques were created through a collaboration of the Residential  Building Maintenance and Machine Tool Technology programs.

The final presentation was from the SkillsUSA Chapter. The officers and one of their advisors, Lorie Goodgine, unveiled a bench that that been created by the General Metals and Collision Repair programs.

Following the luncheon, the Center hosted an open house and offered tours and displays of the 12 programs currently being offered in Paris and branch campuses in Dresden and Camden. Along the hallways were displays of current projects and equipment used in the 12 programs, along with photos of successful alumni and a timeline of the history of the Tennessee Technology Center at Paris. Highlights from that timeline follow.

Beginning in 1969, Rep. Neese began the process of securing state appropriations for the Center, which was initially a branch of the Tennessee Technology Center at McKenzie. The schools were originally called State Area Vocational Technical Schools. Opening its doors  on March 1, 1972, the Paris Center originally offered Nursing and Electronics programs. The original building been renovated twice with the first being a 23,000-square-foot addition in 1973. A 6,000-square-foot addition and major renovation occurred in 1997-98.

The governance of the school was transferred from the State Board of Education to the State Board of Regents in 1983.

 Through the years, the Vo-Tech-- as it was often called-- has evolved-- with an official name change in 1994 --into the Tennessee Technology Centers, offering various programs to meet the needs of local industry and to train the local workforce in Henry and surrounding counties. The only course of study that has been offered continuously through the past four decades is the Practical Nursing program. The 12 programs currently being offered are Business Systems, Computer Information, Collision Repair, Early Childhood Education, Cosmetology, General Metals, Industrial Maintenance,  Machine Tool Technology, Motorcycle/ATV Repair,  Patient Care Technician, Practical Nursing,  and Residential Building Maintenance.

Cutlines---

DSCN0770---Sisters Dian Neese Jordan (left) and  Ann  Neese Walker thumb through scrapbooks highlighting the past 40 years during last week’s open house at the Tennessee Technology Center at Paris. The Paris Campus is named for their late father, W. J. Neese.

DSCN0672----From left, Vice-Chancellor James King, Director Bradley White, Instructor Mickey Thurmond and Assistant Director Willie Huffman review dates and facts on a timeline in the hallway at the TTC-Paris.

Groundbreaking #1----Several local and state dignitaries were on hand for the groundbreaking of the 1997-98 renovation. They are from left, Herman Jackson, Don Ridgeway, Gayle Griffith, John Tanner, Roy Herron, Larry Ray and Clarence Clark.

The Tennessee Technology Center at Paris is proud to bring home two gold medals, two silver medals and a bronze medal in State SkillsUSA competitions.

The Center competed in the post-secondary division of the 47th Annual Conference and received a gold medal in Motorcycle/ATV Repair and Collision Repair. Students from Paris also earned a silver medal in Extemporaneous Speaking and Computer Information. A Bronze medal was earned in CNC Turning. The three-day competition tested students in practical skills as well as written and oral exams.

Daniel Sullivan of Murray, Ky. And  David Pennington of Paris earned Gold Medals in Motorcyle/ATV Repair and Collision Repair respectively. Both will advance to national competition in June in Kansas City, MO.  They will be accompanied by instructor Chris Grissom and Paul Carney.

Dustin Brown of Paris earned a Silver in Extemporaneous Speaking while Dean Lemonds of Paris also earned a Silver in Computer Information. Alex Glisson of Martin earned a Bronze Medal in CNC Turning.

Two other TTC-Paris students who represented the Center in competition was Stephen Rushing and Andrew Turner both of Camden in Machine Tool Technology.

 “We are proud of how well the students represented us this year and we look forward to competition in Kansas City,” Dr. Brad White, director of the Center commented.

SkillsUSA is a national organization serving teachers and high school and college students who are preparing for careers in technical, skilled and service occupations, including health occupations. SkillsUSA was formerly known as VICA (the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America). SkillsUSA programs include local, state and national competitions in which students demonstrate occupational and leadership skills. At the annual national-level SkillsUSA Championships, over 5,000 students compete in 87 occupational and leadership skill areas. 

SkillsUSA programs also help to establish industry standards for job skill training in the lab and classroom, and promote community service. SkillsUSA is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and is cited as a "successful model of employer-driven youth development training program" by the U.S. Department of Labor. 

The TTC-Paris offers training opportunities in 12 programs. They are Business Systems, Collision Repair, Computer Information, Cosmetology, Early Childhood Education, General Metals, Industrial Maintenance, Machine Tool, Motorcycle/ATV Repair, Practical Nursing, Patient Care Technician and Residential Building Maintenance.