Chester County Technical College High School (TCHS) Brandywine Campus has started a new Geo-Spatial Information Systems & Data Science (GIS) program in partnership with West Chester University to help prepare students to meet this demand.

This one-year program will be open to high school seniors and offers them the opportunity to earn college credits as they gain the skills necessary to be a part of this growing field. GIS students will be able to take advantage of WCU’s state-of-the-art lab and facilities in order to gain the experience necessary to be successful in this industry.

A recent survey of businesses conducted by the University of the Redlands, in partnership with GIS software development company ESRI, found that about 40 to 50 percent of businesses expect to need a high usage of GIS services within the next three years. In particular, this usage would be important to business research and development, sales, marketing and operations. Also, more than 86 percent of the companies surveyed reported that GIS was already being utilized across multiple departments within their organization.

The emergence of GIS as an essential aspect of business in 21st-century markets highlights the needs for students to have the skills necessary to meet this growing demand. The TCHS GIS program is helping students become competitive in an ever-changing marketplace.

Interested in learning more? Attend the TCHS GIS Open House tonight, Jan. 17, from 6:30-8 PM at the West Chester University Graduate Center, located at 1160 McDermott Drive.

Click here for more information about the TCHS GIS program.