42 S G M A G A Z I N E | FA L L 2 0 1 7 B U S I N E S S + C U LT U R E 43 area where current employees are reaching retirement age. There is a lot more being done by computers today, and we are on the cutting edge of that, but there is still significant demand for manual machining, and that’s not going away. We teach both at Wiregrass Tech.” By offering more technical classes at the high school level, Wiregrass Tech is introducing students to many technical program options. Williams said industrial systems technology is another high-demand career area that is growing in popularity. “Industrial system jobs are the backbone of manufacturing in the U.S.,” he said. “These are the workers that run the robots that do the manufacturing, but most students don’t know what the job involves.” As more manufacturing jobs become automated, there is a growing need for industrial maintenance technicians. “These guys design, program, and repair the highly automated manufacturing systems used in almost any type of industry you can imagine,” Williams said. “One of the most important things they do is design and repair PLCs (programmable logic controllers) that run assembly lines, robots, and complex machinery in our industries today.” Mechatronics—the combining of mechanical engineering and electronics—is also a popular field within industrial systems, especially for high school students. Wiregrass Tech is currently offering basic technical certificates at Brooks County, Valdosta, and Irwin County high schools that include mechatronics classes. “We are running six classes of mechatronics a day,” Williams said. “We have made some huge equipment investments totaling nearly $1 million in that area. These students study electrical systems, PLCs, fluid power, pneumatics, robotics, etc., on trainers that mimic the automation you would see in an industrial environment.” Williams said welding still represents the largest enrollment, especially within the HOPE Career Grant high- demand areas. “While there are a growing number of new specialized career fields, welding is still the most popular,” he said. “We teach welding on every campus and in the high schools. Many students are finding welding jobs before they graduate.” Keeping the curriculum within industry standards is an important part of the TCSG training success. Follow us at: Follow us at: 42 S G M A G A Z I N E | FA L L 2 0 1 7 B U S I N E S S + C U LT U R E 43 “We ask our manufacturers and industry leaders to tell us what they need us to incorporate into the curriculum,” Williams said. “Each college has an advisory committee that guides them in making changes to the curriculum and helping the schools stay current on industry changes.” SpendingTimeWith BusinessandIndustry Representatives Spending time with business and industry representatives is an important part of Dr. Tina Anderson’s responsibilities. As president of Wiregrass Tech, Anderson provides leadership to an 11-county region, with campuses in Ben Hill-Irwin, Coffee, Cook, and Lowndes counties. During one of her regularly scheduled “Talks with Tina,” she emphasized that the dual responsibility of Wiregrass Tech — and all TCSG institutions — is to graduate students that have the technical skills to immediately begin working in their chosen career field and meet the workforce needs of local businesses and industries.  “We are here to meet the needs of employers in our region,” said Anderson. “It is our job to make sure that we are training our students, so they are prepared to work and succeed.” Anderson cited a recent example of a local industry that needed their truck drivers to have forklift training. “They were hiring our truck driving graduates but then had to train them on how to operate a forklift,” Anderson explained. “The drivers were expected to load and unload their trucks.” Anderson said it was a simple fix and now commercial truck driving graduates from Wiregrass Tech have forklift training. “Certainly anything our business and industry tell us they need, we are going to try and make it work,” Anderson said. “If it is a sustainable need, we want to provide that for our local industries.” When Steeda opened its Valdosta manufacturing facility in 2008, company leaders turned to Wiregrass Tech for assistance in hiring primarily welders and machinists. “There was a lot of value in us locating in Valdosta—not only the tax incentives but having a technical college was a plus,” said Scott Boda, WORKFORCE Dr. Tina Anderson President Wiregrass Tech Valdosta plant manager for Steeda. “Wiregrass Tech teaches the same software that we use in the machine shop, and they have the welding classes.” Steeda has produced parts for industry leaders such as Ford, Roush, Summit Racing, and Ford Racing. The Valdosta facility is located on 25 acres, with space available for expansion. Because specific skill sets are required for Steeda’s production line, Boda said he was able to work directly with Wiregrass Tech instructors to find the correct match. “Wiregrass teaches mostly industrial welding,” Boda said. “Our welding is only MIG (metal inert gas) and TIG (tungsten inert gas), which means it needs to hold together but also be aesthetically pleasing. We are producing parts that need to look good as well as function.” The partnership with Wiregrass Tech allows Steeda to remain competitive in hiring highly skilled workers that meet overall industry standards, as well as the company’s specific skill sets. “It is great working with Wiregrass,” Scott Boda Valdosta Plant Manager Steeda It is our job to make sure we are training our students, so they are prepared to work and succeed. –Dr. Tina Anderson