Manatee Technical Institute gets name change

At its job fair Dec. 10, Manatee Technical Institute will feature more than a plethora of employers seeking members for the workforce.

The technical school will also show off its new name — Manatee Technical College.

The Manatee County School Board unanimously approved to change MTI's name at its Dec. 9 meeting.

Changing the school's name follows suit with Sarasota, Citrus, Pinellas and other counties' school boards that changed their technical institutions to technical colleges.

To Doug Wagner, director of adult career and technical education for the school district, the school's change in identity will positively impact students and the district. He believes calling the school a college more clearly describes the adult educations programs the school offers.

Manatee Technical students can earn college credit for coursework they complete, which transfers to other partnering state and community colleges, such as State College of Florida. 

The change will also make the school a fiercer competitor with other technical schools, school officials agree. Attending a college rather than a technical school may also give students an advantage on their resumes.

Changing the name to technical college will lend greater credibility; many employers, educators, students and parents place a greater value on college rather than vocational education, a school district document says.

This is the fourth time the school has changed names in 51 years. The institution was named MTI in 1997.

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].