A few of the fastest-growing two-year colleges in the nation can be found in North Georgia, according to a new report from Community College Week Magazine.

North Georgia Technical College in Clarkesville ranked No. 4 and Lanier Technical College in Oakwood ranked No. 15, both for colleges serving between 2,500 and 4,999 students.

Statewide, technical college enrollment has grown at a record pace in the last two years, said Mike Light, a spokesman for the Technical College System of Georgia. From 2008 to 2009, the system saw a 23 percent boost.

"All the colleges statewide have seen significant growth," Light said. "We have 26 colleges in the system and half were listed as among the fastest growing."

Some of the increases were fueled by people who are out of work or underemployed due to the stagnant economy, Light said. Georgians are turning to technical colleges for training in fields where the job outlook is more promising. There also was a rise in students younger than 21 who are making technical colleges their first choice for education, he said.

"The main reason they're drawn to technical colleges is the affordability and accessibility," Light said. "They can also get into a career very quickly, even in today's difficult economy."

In 2009, North Georgia Tech grew to 2,865 students, a 37 percent gain in enrollment over 2008 numbers.

Spokeswoman Sandra Maughon said that two years ago, the campus struggled to reach an enrollment of more than 2,000.

To handle the growth, several courses have block scheduling that allows students to streamline their presence on campus to two days a week. The college is also expanding its facilities and making use of new technology to broadcast classes to multiple campuses.

"We're staying ahead of the curve on facilities requirements," President Steve Dougherty said. "Projects are already under way for creating more classrooms and augmenting our information technology to support future growth."

Lanier Tech had a 29 percent increase to a total of 4,114 students.

College president Russell Vandiver said he wasn't too surprised by the news - enrollment at the college has grown by about 40 percent since 2007.

Though funding isn't available to create new facilities, the college has been expanding its online course offerings, Vandiver said. The school also offers several hybrid classes, which are held both online and at the physical campus.

"We have been upgrading our technology to better assist students," Vandiver said.

Some fields in the technical college system are growing quicker than others, Light said. About 40 percent of students are involved in a health care program.

"Health care, for the most part, is one of those industries not as hard hit by the economic downturn. People still need to go to the doctor and get their prescriptions filled, so the demand out there is still pretty strong."

There is also a high demand for traditional trades such as electricians and plumbers, he said.

The Community College Week top 50 list included a total of four colleges in North Georgia: North Georgia Tech, Lanier Tech, Athens Technical College and Gwinnett Technical College. The rankings are based on data from the U.S. Department of Education.