From healthcare to construction, Wiregrass Georgia Tech’s Economic Development team is driving South Georgia’s industries forward with a record year of training.
105 companies served, 13,168 students trained, and 187,435 hours of instruction delivered. Training spanned industries from manufacturing and logistics to healthcare, agriculture, and construction. Watch the video below to hear how they’re expanding the local economy. WIREGREASS GEORGIA TECH BREAKS RECORDS
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
From forklifts to first aid, welding to leadership, the programs stretched across industries like manufacturing, logistics, agriculture, healthcare, and construction.
The results?
A record 105 companies served, 13,168 students trained, and more than 187,000 hours of instruction delivered in just one year.
Executive Vice President of Economic Development Michael Williams says that level of growth didn’t happen overnightit was the product of a clear goal to push past old records.
“And we’ve been hitting higher and higher contract training numbers every year. The year before last, we actually had a dip in company served. So that was our focus over the past year was let’s get those numbers up. And the highest we’ve ever done was 98. Two years passed, and we were hoping to beat that and then. As we approached it and got closer, I said if we beat that 100.”
And beat it they didtopping 100 companies for the very first time.
That milestone speaks not only to Wiregrass’s partnerships but to the real impact on people.
Director of Economic Development Jessica Thornhill says students aren’t just gaining credentialsthey’re stepping into a whole new world of opportunity.
“You’re getting a high amount of training in a short time frame and also for an affordable price. So, you have students who come in, and maybe they’ve never been behind the wheel of a forklift, maybe they have never learned anything about the manufacturing industry. They’ve never heard of lockout tagout. So, we’re exposing them to these programs that are going to give them a whole different view of the workplace.”
It’s training that’s not only shaping careers but also creating opportunity across our region.
In Valdosta, I’m Malia Thomas, reporting for ABC27.
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