West Georgia Technical College’s fall semester enrollment is up over 5 percent from last year to 6,707 students, the college announced on Tuesday. The number of high school students taking WGTC classes through the state’s Move On When Ready program is up 40 percent to 1,081 students.

“Enrollment is up, and we know this means more students are taking advantage of high quality technical education to prepare for careers that are in-demand across our seven-county service area,” President Steve G. Daniel said. 

 Enrollment at the college’s five campuses is evenly divided, with each campus having more than 1,000 students enrolled. Students also take courses at three additional class sites.

Move On When Ready proves to be the bright spot in the report. After legislative changes in the 2015 session of the Georgia General Assembly, more high school students than ever are taking advantage of free college courses. 

“Our staff really worked hard at the end of last school year and over the summer to get interested high school students enrolled,” Daniel said. “We believe Move On When Ready will continue to be a growth area for us going forward.”

Daniel said high school students who are interested in taking college courses should contact their high school counselor’s office for guidance.