COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Started as an all women’s college, Columbia College now admits men and also offers online and evening classes. Thursday afternoon, the liberal arts college partnered with the state’s technical college system to allow students to become a teacher right where they live through online courses.  Columbia College president Dr. John Dozier announced the partnership between the two alongside Dr. Tim Hardee with the South Carolina Technical College System. These online programs are hoping to help fill many of the state’s teacher vacancies. The ‘Tech To Teach’ program allows for a smoother transition into an education program for students at a technical college who hope to become teachers. The partnership is currently available as a pilot program at seven South Carolina schools with the goal of expanding to all of the state’s 16 technical colleges.  The program became effective this fall and will initially run for five years. Categories: Local News, News, Richland Tags: Columbia College, community college, teacher vacancies, technical college