August 15, 2025 • 27 mins
What happens when global automotive giants team up with education? In this episode, we explore how partnerships with industry leaders like Kia and Mercedes-Benz are revolutionizing workforce development. Discover how these collaborations are creating clear, future-ready pathways for students—especially in the rapidly growing field of electric vehicles. From hands-on training to curriculum innovation, we dive into the strategies shaping tomorrow’s talent pipeline.
Chapters
00:00 The Need for Technical Training
02:52 Innovative Training Facilities and Programs
06:03 Industry Partnerships and Workforce Development
09:04 Student Success and Career Pathways
12:01 Collaboration with Global Brands
15:00 Preparing for the Future of Automotive Careers
17:45 Advancements in Electric Vehicle Training
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:02):
And I can tell you that what the country needs
really bad is good technical training.
S2 (00:09):
It's getting harder and harder to find quality technicians. And
they've realized it's going to take some investment from them.
S3 (00:16):
The manufacturers look at it as it's our job to
keep their shop filled with future technicians.
S1 (00:25):
Kids now graduating high school, everyone gets a letter and
it kind of opens your eyes and says, hey, I'm wanted.
Somebody wants to help advance my career.
S4 (00:36):
Welcome to Talent Pipeline Georgia, a podcast brought to you
by the Technical College System of Georgia. Each month, we
bring business leaders, faculty, and students together to explore how
Tcsg 22 colleges and 600 plus programs drive workforce development,
fuel economic growth, and create pathways to success. Whether you're
building a stronger team, shaping policy for the future, or
(00:56):
preparing for the next step in your education, Tcsg is
your partner in progress? Visit us at for more details.
The technical college system of Georgia. Meaningful careers start here.
On today's episode, we explore the exciting intersection of education
and the automotive industry, featuring insights from Georgia's technical colleges,
industry leaders and Kia Georgia President Stewart Countess. We discuss
(01:19):
how collaboration is shaping the next generation of automotive professionals.
You'll hear about innovative programs like partnerships with global brands,
cutting edge labs, and pathways guiding students to successful careers.
Discover why technical training matters, how it fuels economic growth,
and the opportunities available for those passionate about the automotive field.
Whether you're an industry insider or a curious listener, this
(01:41):
episode offers something for everyone. First up, we'll hear from
Aaron Clements, president of CNC Automotive in Augusta. Aaron, how
do you think technical colleges help get both new and
experienced workers ready for changes in industries like automotive repair?
S1 (01:55):
I have a great love for our country and I
can tell you that what the country needs really bad
is good technical training, because what we have, and I'm
seeing that from real world experience, I'm seeing people that
apply for jobs that have degrees in some field that
(02:17):
has nothing to do with being working on cars. And
so they come in and they apply for the position
and they don't have any qualifications. They've been to the
classroom experience. And if these people, instead of spending that
time getting a degree in something they're not going to use,
(02:38):
if they were to go to a technical college of
some kind and learn something that they really enjoy doing,
whether that's automotive repair or HVAC or welding or or
something that they could come out and actually earn a
living doing, then that would be the best thing that
we could do for this country. And and I think
(03:00):
that I've visited I mean, absolutely beautiful technical colleges and
I think we should have those all around the country
where if a person wants to go and learn a
trade that they can enjoy, that they can build the
foundation for a good enjoyment, enjoyable career, then we we
(03:21):
need to give our kids that opportunity. So to me,
it's very important for these technical colleges to not only
be available for those that are younger, coming up, looking
for a trade, wanting to learn how to make a living,
but also be there to use some of the experience
(03:41):
that some of these other people had and be able
to take that opportunity to pass it on. And also
having it set up to where those older people that
went to tech schools many years ago, things have changed
a lot. There's places for them to go to continue
that learning so that they don't have to get out
of the working world because they've lost touch with the
(04:03):
new technology that has come out. So I think technical colleges,
we traditionally when you think of technical college, you think
of a younger person that's coming out, just learning how
to work or either just getting out of the military
and saying, hey, I need to get a job. A
different type job. You don't think about the people that's
been doing the job for ten, 15, 20 years and
(04:24):
technology has passed them by. We need to go after
those people. We need to be able to keep those
people working.
S4 (04:31):
Can you tell us about the new training facility and
how its design and features will enhance the education and
skill development for both technicians and service advisors?
S1 (04:39):
Yes. It's going to be a beautiful, beautiful shop. It's
actually a Cadillac dealership at one time, and the building
that we're in now was a Cadillac Oldsmobile dealership. One
of the one of our it's, I guess you'd call
it our flagship building, but that building is going to
be very large. It's going to be laid out in
(05:00):
a way to where they're going to have training for
the technicians in different areas to where they would have undercard,
they would have transmissions and some area for diesels and
area for paint and body work. And another thing that's
real important to the industry now that probably 20 years ago,
nobody would have even thought of trying to have training
for it. But now it's very important. And that service
(05:23):
advisor training, because having a person that's available when a
customer walks in to be able to write the information down,
make recommendations to that customer, put it in the computer,
pass it on to the technician and the technician, be
able to read it, understand it, and then the diagnosis
and put his recommendation in there. And then that service
(05:45):
advisor be able to transfer that information to the customer.
That's one of the more important jobs in the shop. Now,
the other thing that is my understanding that we're going
to have enough. And we toured and I fussed about
a lot of this stuff, trying to make sure, hey,
this is what we need, this is what we need.
And of course, what the wonderful thing is. Of course,
(06:07):
they already had a lot of things in mind, but
they took the time to to really listen to other
people in, in the, on the advisory board. They really
listen to us very closely held meetings and that and,
and said, what do you think about this? What do
you think about that? When we made recommendations, they either
said this or why we can't or they did or
or they did it. And to me that was huge.
(06:29):
But one of the things I mentioned is having a
place where we can have training classes. Right now, we
have a fair amount in our showroom area of our shop,
and we set up like about 50 chairs, and we
have roughly 40 or 50 people come in and have
classes right now once every 2 or 3 months. If
they had them over there, we could probably double that.
S4 (06:51):
Thanks, Aaron, for talking about the need for better training
facilities and skilled service advisors. Up next, we've got Kevin Bryant,
an instructor at Augusta Tech, to share how his program
gets students started with the basics and builds their skills
step by step. Kevin, can you break down how your
program mixes classroom learning and hands on practice to get
students ready for success in the automotive world?
S2 (07:11):
So our program starts at the very basics. We we
can take you if you don't know anything about cars.
And we start with our introduction class, which is a
lot of of the behind the scenes stuff, the safety course,
the the laws and rules and regulations as far as
pollution and everything goes all the way up through work
ethics and what tools are and how they work and
what they do. And then we will fall after that class,
(07:34):
which is the first two weeks, we will follow the
ASC certification path, which is automotive service excellence. It's kind
of our bar exam when we get into the field,
and they have eight different certification layers that they have,
each corresponding with a different system on each car. And
(07:56):
so each of our classes is going to. Correspond with
one of those certifications. And so we are a four
semester program. It takes about 16 months to get through
the program. We are very hands on. We are in
the classroom, of course, to learn the theory and the
principles behind what we're teaching. But we are very much
(08:18):
out in the lab completing live work and assignments on
mockups and trainers and things that we have. We have
increased our trainers and mockups lately, so it's a little
bit easier to to train somebody on something like that
versus a live car. But we try to give a
very comprehensive and technical education. And most of the people
(08:40):
that are coming to us for an education don't do
well in a classroom setting. They're more of a hands on,
you know, show me. And then I'm going to show
you that I know it type education. And so that's
what we specialize in, is getting the students out into
the shop and getting their hands dirty, and fixing a
vehicle that gives them the confidence and the experience to
carry over into building a proper work ethic for the
(09:05):
automotive industry.
S4 (09:06):
Our industry partners stepping up to address the growing shortage
of quality technicians. And what role does your program play
in preparing the next generation of skilled professionals?
S2 (09:15):
Well, what we've heard from from our partners out there
is it's getting harder and harder to find quality technicians.
And we realized it's going to take some investment from
them to. You can only take technicians from each other
for so much before the technicians age out. We're starting
to see a lot of technicians that have what it
takes in this field. They'll retire or, you know, this
(09:38):
is this is this is a pretty tough job on
your body. And so you don't really want to work
until you're 80 years old doing this. So what we're
finding is, is these guys have kind of, I'm not
going to say ignored the fact that this has been coming,
but it's caught a few by surprise. So what they
have done is decided to invest in us so we
can build the technicians for them and create a better
(10:02):
employee for them. Starting out versus just hiring someone off
the street or out of high school.
S4 (10:08):
Thanks, Kevin, for breaking down the challenges with finding skilled
technicians and how companies are stepping up to help. It
really highlights how important those partnerships and investments are. Speaking
of partnerships, our next guest knows a thing or two
about making those work. We've got Melissa Frank Alston, interim
president of Augusta Tech, here with us. Melissa, can you
talk about how Augusta Tech is helping students succeed, especially
(10:29):
with support from partners like Kia?
S5 (10:32):
Okay, so you mentioned Kia. So Kia is a sponsor
for the technical college system of Georgia. And every year
Kia has provided the state student of the year with
Kia as part of the prize. So we have a
program called gull, which is the Georgia occupational for student leadership.
(10:54):
And so each technical college has an internal competition student
of the year competition, so to speak. And those students
go to a regional competition. And then they go to
the state competition. And the state competition is in conjunction
with our Tcsg leadership summit. And at the end of
(11:16):
that competition, the winner of that competition receives a Kia.
And the premise behind that is to really showcase Kia's
commitment to the technical college system of Georgia. But also
the student of the year is the ambassador for the
state and for technical education here in Georgia. And so
(11:38):
that student uses that Kia to go around the state.
So they're a wonderful, wonderful sponsor to have.
S4 (11:45):
Thanks, Melissa, for sharing how Augusta Tech is making such
a difference for students and the community, especially with support
from partners like Kia. Speaking of Kia, we're excited to
hear from Stuart Countess, the president of Kia Georgia. Stuart,
can you tell us about Kia's efforts to support technical
education and how those partnerships are helping to shape the
future workforce?
S6 (12:04):
We donate $100,000 each year into the Technical College Fund.
Maybe the question is, well, why do we do that?
Our answer is that we see the technical colleges a
key support block in what we do as a business.
So by partnering with them and helping to promote careers
and opportunities again through technical college, we not only support ourselves,
(12:27):
but certainly we're supporting the growth within the state. We've
enjoyed doing that. We think it's a critical part of
what we bring back to the community. And there's some
equal sharing on both sides because, you know, we get
to participate in the State Workforce Development Board. We get
to participate in the Goal of Student Achievement Award. You know,
(12:47):
one of the proudest moments that I have every year, um,
is when we give a car away to the student
of the year. There's some very interesting stories that we
hear about obstacles and challenges that people have had to overcome,
but yet they had overcome all of those. And getting
to listen to those stories, um, honestly, sometimes can be
(13:09):
a tear jerker, even for the coldest of hearts. You're
proud of what they did, but it's certainly a recognition.
And I would say that Kia is very blessed and
honored to be a part of that whole initiative.
S4 (13:23):
Stuart, it's great to hear how Kia supports education and
gives back. Building on that, can you talk about how
Kia is working with education systems from K through 12
to technical colleges and beyond, to create clear pathways for
students and help them see opportunities available in industries like yours?
S6 (13:39):
Well, there's been a significant shift. I'll start there. Um,
over the last couple of years, um, working with the
governor's office, There's been a better alignment. All the educational systems,
the K through 12, through the technical college into the
four year universities. We had realized was that we weren't
always talking the same language, which meant that we weren't
(14:04):
defining the pathways to be able to very clearly articulate
to individuals what you can do. We've even seen a
lot of changes, I would say, since the Covid onset,
that some individuals just realize maybe I want to go
to the technical college. Well, how do you get there?
What is the necessary steps? What are the careers and
(14:26):
opportunities that people can find by going to a technical college?
And then develop those additional skill sets, if that's what
they choose to do. Um, you know, kids now graduating
high school, everyone gets a letter saying you've been accepted
into this institution, this technical college, this university. I think
(14:48):
that we don't realize that there are a lot of
young individuals who may not have that background support, that
help point them into that direction. But imagine getting that
letter in the mail, and it kind of opens your
eyes and says, hey, I'm wanted. Somebody wants to help
advance my career. And if there's a kind of a
(15:11):
hidden gem, I think that's where Georgia's got it right now.
And everybody. Our belief here at Kia Georgia is we'll
get our fair share. We'll find those people who want
to be in automotive career, but better. What we want
to do is to help make sure the state is
successful and continue its track record as the number one
state to do business.
S4 (15:31):
Thanks, Stuart for sharing how Kia is helping students in
aligning with schools to create clear paths to careers. Now,
shifting from the big picture to what's happening on the ground,
we've got Bob Bauman, program director at Gwinnett Tech. Bob,
you've built an automotive program that's attracting students from all over.
Can you tell us more about what makes your program
stand out and the opportunities it's creating for students?
S3 (15:53):
Well, I'm very proud of everything that we do at
Gwinnett Tech. And I'm not just saying that because I
have to say that. I say that because I truly
believe it. Um, when we look at what other colleges
offer to give you an idea, there is a two
year waiting list to get into my program. And that's
that's bringing in 80 to 85 new students per year.
(16:14):
When the administrative office and all of that, when they
do exit surveys with the students, and then when they
talk to new students coming in, they have found out
that a percentage of our students, automotive students are actually
driving past other institutions that teach automotive to get to us.
And when they ask them why, they're number one answer
is the amount of opportunity. Now we have three standalone
(16:37):
manufacturer programs. We have Mopar cap, which is anything under
the Stellantis umbrella. So it's Dodge Ram, Am deep. Fiat anything, Chrysler,
anything under that. That's a manufacturer program. We also offer
Mercedes-Benz and we also offer Ford. And then the other
program we have is the general automotive program, which is mine.
(16:58):
So what is the difference between those? Those three manufacturer
programs are 100% backed by the manufacturer, which means the
manufacturer gives them all the vehicles, all the equipment to
work with, all the access to the training. They are
training those students to work for those manufacturers specifically, their
labs are set up just like a dealership. So the
(17:20):
student has that environment and those students are really, really
fans of Ford, Mopar or Mercedes. Then you get to
General Automotive, which is mine, and we happen to be
the largest program in the in the building as well.
We have manufacturers support, but ours is kind of a
I say it's it's embedded within our program. We have
(17:41):
support from Audi, Hyundai, Genesis, Nissan, Infiniti, Mazda and Subaru.
And what they do is they'll give us little bits
of things. They'll either give us some vehicles or they'll
give us access to their technician training, or they'll give
us some equipment to work with or demo parts, things
like that. Students that want to take those programs, we
(18:03):
make sure that they work with those specific vehicles and training,
and they get credit for those particular manufacturers, but it's
not a manufactured standalone program. So when students look at
that potential students and they see all the opportunities and
we have a 99% job placement rate from our all
(18:24):
of our programs, it kind of a win win if
they come to us.
S4 (18:28):
Thanks, Bob, for giving us a glimpse into the incredible
opportunities at Gwinnett Tech's automotive programs and how you're setting
students up for success. Continuing with Gwinnett Tech, we're joined
by Glenn Cannon to talk about their partnership with Mercedes
Benz and how it's creating a direct path for students
to land careers with a global brand. Glenn, can you
tell us more about how this program came together and
the impact it's having?
S7 (18:50):
So Mercedes, actually, the week I got the job, almost
a little over 11 years ago, was the week that Mercedes,
being USA, announced they were moving their headquarters from, uh,
new Jersey to Sandy Springs. And Gwinnett techs just developed
a relationship, and they'd been talking to our automotive people,
(19:11):
and so they wanted to make sure they could get
a quality program. We worked with them on a curriculum
and wound up it's an associate degree, two year program,
but basically into their second semester, they go to work
at a Mercedes dealership in the metro area. So they're
on a paid internship from basically the second semester end.
(19:32):
And then we've had pretty much 100% job placement rate
after they graduate into one of the local Mercedes-Benz dealerships.
And Mercedes was a great partner overall. They've given us
well over $1 million of equipment and improvements. Our lab
was made. We have a specific lab with six lifts
(19:52):
that's just for Mercedes. And it's, uh, it meets all
the specs that a technician center does at any one
of your Mercedes Benz dealerships. We actually have a dealership
number where we're get access to immediate updates on the
computer screens that our instructors and our students are seeing
(20:13):
are live, just like the the same they're seeing the
same information on the same screens that a technician would
at a Mercedes Benz dealership. So it's been a great partnership,
very productive. Uh, my understanding is Mercedes is now repeating
going to duplicate that, repeat that. I believe the first
place is, uh, outside of Louisville, Kentucky, and then possibly
move out west. Uh, but I'm not sure exactly what their,
(20:36):
their overall plans are. I just know that ours has
been extremely successful and we're very thankful for the partnership.
And it's great to see that Mercedes logo, uh, up
in our automotive place and on our campus, because anytime
you can deal with a, a global company like that,
it adds, you know, some cachet to your entire campus
(20:56):
and operations. People know they're dealing with an institution that
has the ability to work with a global partner like that.
S4 (21:03):
Glenn, it's great to hear about the incredible partnership with
Mercedes Benz and how it's opening doors for students. Can
you share how Gwinnett Tech is building on that success
with other big names like Ford and Mazda, to keep
growing opportunities for your students?
S7 (21:16):
Yes, we're very fortunate as well with that. You know,
we're constantly looking to see how can we partner with any,
you know, major global brand we can. Ford has has
a program that they've developed. It's called asset and it's
how they it's a curriculum around how they train their technicians.
We work with that curriculum and converted it into a
(21:39):
technical college diploma program for our students and Ford. For
us to have an asset program, you have to. I
forget how large the area has to be, but for
us it was the metro area, but every dealership in
that area and for us, that's our area. That's 17
Ford dealerships in the metro area had to agree to
(22:00):
join the program for it to be recognized by Ford.
They all did, and they all chipped in money. And
as a little over a, I believe, almost $300,000 that
they gave us for vehicles. And we have Ford lifts,
you know, and plus they gave us, you know, two EVs,
their Ford Mustang and then a truck EV. And we
(22:23):
consider ourselves the, uh, the top EV training program in
Georgia especially. But, uh, I believe in the southeast right now.
And as you evolve in this, uh, you know, one
thing we learned, I learned from our people was that
we had to have a couple of new lifts because
the EVs are quite heavier than a regular car. So
(22:43):
they helped us with that. And it is up and going. And, um,
we've graduated our first students and they'll be working in
four dealerships and uh, I think, uh, you know, it's
been a very productive program so far. And I think, uh,
Ford is really pleased with the program so far. We
also just signed an agreement as our newest agreement with
(23:05):
Mazda and, uh, developed a curriculum with Mazda. And Mazda
actually has insight. It's going to be a program inside
our general automotive program, where general automotive students can get
a specific technical certificates in Mazda technician. And when they
come out, they'll be a, uh, I believe it's called
an advanced Mazda technician according to their hierarchy to be employed. Uh,
(23:30):
and Mazda also put together a benefits package that the
incentive to hire and a benefits package for our students
to entice them when they graduate to go to work
for Mazda. That. Yeah, it was a very it was
a great package. I was ready to go to work
for Mazda myself after they got through presenting it. These
automotive programs are competitive program now. Uh, they're similar to
(23:52):
our health programs. It's very competitive. It's going to take
the top students. Uh, these are extremely complicated computers on wheels,
and it's going to take more and more of a
person with networking, computer skills, diagnostic skills, critical thinking. These
students are not the the automotive technicians that I certainly
(24:14):
grew up with. And this is a you know, they're
working in a clean, air conditioned environment. Uh, and they're
thought of as a professional. So it's a it's just
a great opportunity for our students and people to get
in a highly competitive, well-paying that something that's not just
a job, it's a career in there. So, uh, we're
(24:34):
appreciative of all three of those programs.
S4 (24:37):
Glenn, it's exciting to hear about how Gwinnett Tech is
leading the way with programs like Ford Asset and Mazda's
advanced training. Speaking of innovation, can you tell us how
you're preparing students to tackle the growing demand for EV
charging systems and the opportunities that come with it?
S7 (24:51):
You've seen everything I know everyone has about what's going
on with Georgia and Governor Kemp saying we were going
to be the EV, you know, automotive EV capital of
the US. And I think we certainly are. And we
saw what was going on in manufacturing with, you know,
Kia added an entire line and an expansion over in
(25:11):
West Point and near Lagrange for electric vehicles. We've got
the massive mega plant for Hyundai built right outside of Savannah.
Rivian is, uh, you know, will be a massive project
when it comes to fruition. And we have four large
EV battery plants in Georgia that are just massive operations.
(25:33):
So we have started manufacturing advanced manufacturing in factory in mechatronics.
But we are not, you know, by far one of
the larger manufacturing, uh, specific schools. So I was looking
at and we started talking about, well, how can we
get involved in all these and suddenly realized that, uh,
no one was doing the, the actual charging systems. You know,
(25:54):
those have to be installed, and there's a lot of
maintenance in those EV charging systems. Uh, and that's going
to be a wave of the future for EVs. Ever
really get to get to where, you know, everyone expects
them to be? We're going to have to have a
massive influx of, you know, these charge. We're gonna we're
gonna have to have a Bucky's for charger that's got
chargers at some point in here. So, uh, we were
(26:17):
looking at that and working with Siemens, which is, uh,
you know, their their headquarters is in, uh, Alpharetta, where our, uh,
satellite campus is over in Alpharetta, across from the Avalon.
They are one of the largest manufacturers of the actually
one of the EV charging systems. So we work with them.
They're a great partner. They gave us all the chargers
(26:39):
and our people built a modular training units, and we
teach that at our Alpharetta campus. And it's how to
become a certified installer of the charging machines, because that
as well, uh, you've got to have some, you've got
to have electrical knowledge and you've also got to have
some computer knowledge. Those things, uh, any technician you see
(27:01):
installing or working on one of those charging machines will
have a laptop with them. So that's a good program
we've got with Siemens, and we've just graduated our first class, uh,
in that. And we'll be expanding that, uh, over to
our Gwinnett campus for an additional program as well.
S4 (27:17):
Thanks for listening to Talent Pipeline Georgia, a podcast brought
to you by the Technical College System of Georgia. Visit
us at tcsg for more details. The technical college system
of Georgia. Meaningful careers start here.
And I can tell you that what the country needs
really bad is good technical training.
S2 (00:09):
It's getting harder and harder to find quality technicians. And
they've realized it's going to take some investment from them.
S3 (00:16):
The manufacturers look at it as it's our job to
keep their shop filled with future technicians.
S1 (00:25):
Kids now graduating high school, everyone gets a letter and
it kind of opens your eyes and says, hey, I'm wanted.
Somebody wants to help advance my career.
S4 (00:36):
Welcome to Talent Pipeline Georgia, a podcast brought to you
by the Technical College System of Georgia. Each month, we
bring business leaders, faculty, and students together to explore how
Tcsg 22 colleges and 600 plus programs drive workforce development,
fuel economic growth, and create pathways to success. Whether you're
building a stronger team, shaping policy for the future, or
(00:56):
preparing for the next step in your education, Tcsg is
your partner in progress? Visit us at for more details.
The technical college system of Georgia. Meaningful careers start here.
On today's episode, we explore the exciting intersection of education
and the automotive industry, featuring insights from Georgia's technical colleges,
industry leaders and Kia Georgia President Stewart Countess. We discuss
(01:19):
how collaboration is shaping the next generation of automotive professionals.
You'll hear about innovative programs like partnerships with global brands,
cutting edge labs, and pathways guiding students to successful careers.
Discover why technical training matters, how it fuels economic growth,
and the opportunities available for those passionate about the automotive field.
Whether you're an industry insider or a curious listener, this
(01:41):
episode offers something for everyone. First up, we'll hear from
Aaron Clements, president of CNC Automotive in Augusta. Aaron, how
do you think technical colleges help get both new and
experienced workers ready for changes in industries like automotive repair?
S1 (01:55):
I have a great love for our country and I
can tell you that what the country needs really bad
is good technical training, because what we have, and I'm
seeing that from real world experience, I'm seeing people that
apply for jobs that have degrees in some field that
(02:17):
has nothing to do with being working on cars. And
so they come in and they apply for the position
and they don't have any qualifications. They've been to the
classroom experience. And if these people, instead of spending that
time getting a degree in something they're not going to use,
(02:38):
if they were to go to a technical college of
some kind and learn something that they really enjoy doing,
whether that's automotive repair or HVAC or welding or or
something that they could come out and actually earn a
living doing, then that would be the best thing that
we could do for this country. And and I think
(03:00):
that I've visited I mean, absolutely beautiful technical colleges and
I think we should have those all around the country
where if a person wants to go and learn a
trade that they can enjoy, that they can build the
foundation for a good enjoyment, enjoyable career, then we we
(03:21):
need to give our kids that opportunity. So to me,
it's very important for these technical colleges to not only
be available for those that are younger, coming up, looking
for a trade, wanting to learn how to make a living,
but also be there to use some of the experience
(03:41):
that some of these other people had and be able
to take that opportunity to pass it on. And also
having it set up to where those older people that
went to tech schools many years ago, things have changed
a lot. There's places for them to go to continue
that learning so that they don't have to get out
of the working world because they've lost touch with the
(04:03):
new technology that has come out. So I think technical colleges,
we traditionally when you think of technical college, you think
of a younger person that's coming out, just learning how
to work or either just getting out of the military
and saying, hey, I need to get a job. A
different type job. You don't think about the people that's
been doing the job for ten, 15, 20 years and
(04:24):
technology has passed them by. We need to go after
those people. We need to be able to keep those
people working.
S4 (04:31):
Can you tell us about the new training facility and
how its design and features will enhance the education and
skill development for both technicians and service advisors?
S1 (04:39):
Yes. It's going to be a beautiful, beautiful shop. It's
actually a Cadillac dealership at one time, and the building
that we're in now was a Cadillac Oldsmobile dealership. One
of the one of our it's, I guess you'd call
it our flagship building, but that building is going to
be very large. It's going to be laid out in
(05:00):
a way to where they're going to have training for
the technicians in different areas to where they would have undercard,
they would have transmissions and some area for diesels and
area for paint and body work. And another thing that's
real important to the industry now that probably 20 years ago,
nobody would have even thought of trying to have training
for it. But now it's very important. And that service
(05:23):
advisor training, because having a person that's available when a
customer walks in to be able to write the information down,
make recommendations to that customer, put it in the computer,
pass it on to the technician and the technician, be
able to read it, understand it, and then the diagnosis
and put his recommendation in there. And then that service
(05:45):
advisor be able to transfer that information to the customer.
That's one of the more important jobs in the shop. Now,
the other thing that is my understanding that we're going
to have enough. And we toured and I fussed about
a lot of this stuff, trying to make sure, hey,
this is what we need, this is what we need.
And of course, what the wonderful thing is. Of course,
(06:07):
they already had a lot of things in mind, but
they took the time to to really listen to other
people in, in the, on the advisory board. They really
listen to us very closely held meetings and that and,
and said, what do you think about this? What do
you think about that? When we made recommendations, they either
said this or why we can't or they did or
or they did it. And to me that was huge.
(06:29):
But one of the things I mentioned is having a
place where we can have training classes. Right now, we
have a fair amount in our showroom area of our shop,
and we set up like about 50 chairs, and we
have roughly 40 or 50 people come in and have
classes right now once every 2 or 3 months. If
they had them over there, we could probably double that.
S4 (06:51):
Thanks, Aaron, for talking about the need for better training
facilities and skilled service advisors. Up next, we've got Kevin Bryant,
an instructor at Augusta Tech, to share how his program
gets students started with the basics and builds their skills
step by step. Kevin, can you break down how your
program mixes classroom learning and hands on practice to get
students ready for success in the automotive world?
S2 (07:11):
So our program starts at the very basics. We we
can take you if you don't know anything about cars.
And we start with our introduction class, which is a
lot of of the behind the scenes stuff, the safety course,
the the laws and rules and regulations as far as
pollution and everything goes all the way up through work
ethics and what tools are and how they work and
what they do. And then we will fall after that class,
(07:34):
which is the first two weeks, we will follow the
ASC certification path, which is automotive service excellence. It's kind
of our bar exam when we get into the field,
and they have eight different certification layers that they have,
each corresponding with a different system on each car. And
(07:56):
so each of our classes is going to. Correspond with
one of those certifications. And so we are a four
semester program. It takes about 16 months to get through
the program. We are very hands on. We are in
the classroom, of course, to learn the theory and the
principles behind what we're teaching. But we are very much
(08:18):
out in the lab completing live work and assignments on
mockups and trainers and things that we have. We have
increased our trainers and mockups lately, so it's a little
bit easier to to train somebody on something like that
versus a live car. But we try to give a
very comprehensive and technical education. And most of the people
(08:40):
that are coming to us for an education don't do
well in a classroom setting. They're more of a hands on,
you know, show me. And then I'm going to show
you that I know it type education. And so that's
what we specialize in, is getting the students out into
the shop and getting their hands dirty, and fixing a
vehicle that gives them the confidence and the experience to
carry over into building a proper work ethic for the
(09:05):
automotive industry.
S4 (09:06):
Our industry partners stepping up to address the growing shortage
of quality technicians. And what role does your program play
in preparing the next generation of skilled professionals?
S2 (09:15):
Well, what we've heard from from our partners out there
is it's getting harder and harder to find quality technicians.
And we realized it's going to take some investment from
them to. You can only take technicians from each other
for so much before the technicians age out. We're starting
to see a lot of technicians that have what it
takes in this field. They'll retire or, you know, this
(09:38):
is this is this is a pretty tough job on
your body. And so you don't really want to work
until you're 80 years old doing this. So what we're
finding is, is these guys have kind of, I'm not
going to say ignored the fact that this has been coming,
but it's caught a few by surprise. So what they
have done is decided to invest in us so we
can build the technicians for them and create a better
(10:02):
employee for them. Starting out versus just hiring someone off
the street or out of high school.
S4 (10:08):
Thanks, Kevin, for breaking down the challenges with finding skilled
technicians and how companies are stepping up to help. It
really highlights how important those partnerships and investments are. Speaking
of partnerships, our next guest knows a thing or two
about making those work. We've got Melissa Frank Alston, interim
president of Augusta Tech, here with us. Melissa, can you
talk about how Augusta Tech is helping students succeed, especially
(10:29):
with support from partners like Kia?
S5 (10:32):
Okay, so you mentioned Kia. So Kia is a sponsor
for the technical college system of Georgia. And every year
Kia has provided the state student of the year with
Kia as part of the prize. So we have a
program called gull, which is the Georgia occupational for student leadership.
(10:54):
And so each technical college has an internal competition student
of the year competition, so to speak. And those students
go to a regional competition. And then they go to
the state competition. And the state competition is in conjunction
with our Tcsg leadership summit. And at the end of
(11:16):
that competition, the winner of that competition receives a Kia.
And the premise behind that is to really showcase Kia's
commitment to the technical college system of Georgia. But also
the student of the year is the ambassador for the
state and for technical education here in Georgia. And so
(11:38):
that student uses that Kia to go around the state.
So they're a wonderful, wonderful sponsor to have.
S4 (11:45):
Thanks, Melissa, for sharing how Augusta Tech is making such
a difference for students and the community, especially with support
from partners like Kia. Speaking of Kia, we're excited to
hear from Stuart Countess, the president of Kia Georgia. Stuart,
can you tell us about Kia's efforts to support technical
education and how those partnerships are helping to shape the
future workforce?
S6 (12:04):
We donate $100,000 each year into the Technical College Fund.
Maybe the question is, well, why do we do that?
Our answer is that we see the technical colleges a
key support block in what we do as a business.
So by partnering with them and helping to promote careers
and opportunities again through technical college, we not only support ourselves,
(12:27):
but certainly we're supporting the growth within the state. We've
enjoyed doing that. We think it's a critical part of
what we bring back to the community. And there's some
equal sharing on both sides because, you know, we get
to participate in the State Workforce Development Board. We get
to participate in the Goal of Student Achievement Award. You know,
(12:47):
one of the proudest moments that I have every year, um,
is when we give a car away to the student
of the year. There's some very interesting stories that we
hear about obstacles and challenges that people have had to overcome,
but yet they had overcome all of those. And getting
to listen to those stories, um, honestly, sometimes can be
(13:09):
a tear jerker, even for the coldest of hearts. You're
proud of what they did, but it's certainly a recognition.
And I would say that Kia is very blessed and
honored to be a part of that whole initiative.
S4 (13:23):
Stuart, it's great to hear how Kia supports education and
gives back. Building on that, can you talk about how
Kia is working with education systems from K through 12
to technical colleges and beyond, to create clear pathways for
students and help them see opportunities available in industries like yours?
S6 (13:39):
Well, there's been a significant shift. I'll start there. Um,
over the last couple of years, um, working with the
governor's office, There's been a better alignment. All the educational systems,
the K through 12, through the technical college into the
four year universities. We had realized was that we weren't
always talking the same language, which meant that we weren't
(14:04):
defining the pathways to be able to very clearly articulate
to individuals what you can do. We've even seen a
lot of changes, I would say, since the Covid onset,
that some individuals just realize maybe I want to go
to the technical college. Well, how do you get there?
What is the necessary steps? What are the careers and
(14:26):
opportunities that people can find by going to a technical college?
And then develop those additional skill sets, if that's what
they choose to do. Um, you know, kids now graduating
high school, everyone gets a letter saying you've been accepted
into this institution, this technical college, this university. I think
(14:48):
that we don't realize that there are a lot of
young individuals who may not have that background support, that
help point them into that direction. But imagine getting that
letter in the mail, and it kind of opens your
eyes and says, hey, I'm wanted. Somebody wants to help
advance my career. And if there's a kind of a
(15:11):
hidden gem, I think that's where Georgia's got it right now.
And everybody. Our belief here at Kia Georgia is we'll
get our fair share. We'll find those people who want
to be in automotive career, but better. What we want
to do is to help make sure the state is
successful and continue its track record as the number one
state to do business.
S4 (15:31):
Thanks, Stuart for sharing how Kia is helping students in
aligning with schools to create clear paths to careers. Now,
shifting from the big picture to what's happening on the ground,
we've got Bob Bauman, program director at Gwinnett Tech. Bob,
you've built an automotive program that's attracting students from all over.
Can you tell us more about what makes your program
stand out and the opportunities it's creating for students?
S3 (15:53):
Well, I'm very proud of everything that we do at
Gwinnett Tech. And I'm not just saying that because I
have to say that. I say that because I truly
believe it. Um, when we look at what other colleges
offer to give you an idea, there is a two
year waiting list to get into my program. And that's
that's bringing in 80 to 85 new students per year.
(16:14):
When the administrative office and all of that, when they
do exit surveys with the students, and then when they
talk to new students coming in, they have found out
that a percentage of our students, automotive students are actually
driving past other institutions that teach automotive to get to us.
And when they ask them why, they're number one answer
is the amount of opportunity. Now we have three standalone
(16:37):
manufacturer programs. We have Mopar cap, which is anything under
the Stellantis umbrella. So it's Dodge Ram, Am deep. Fiat anything, Chrysler,
anything under that. That's a manufacturer program. We also offer
Mercedes-Benz and we also offer Ford. And then the other
program we have is the general automotive program, which is mine.
(16:58):
So what is the difference between those? Those three manufacturer
programs are 100% backed by the manufacturer, which means the
manufacturer gives them all the vehicles, all the equipment to
work with, all the access to the training. They are
training those students to work for those manufacturers specifically, their
labs are set up just like a dealership. So the
(17:20):
student has that environment and those students are really, really
fans of Ford, Mopar or Mercedes. Then you get to
General Automotive, which is mine, and we happen to be
the largest program in the in the building as well.
We have manufacturers support, but ours is kind of a
I say it's it's embedded within our program. We have
(17:41):
support from Audi, Hyundai, Genesis, Nissan, Infiniti, Mazda and Subaru.
And what they do is they'll give us little bits
of things. They'll either give us some vehicles or they'll
give us access to their technician training, or they'll give
us some equipment to work with or demo parts, things
like that. Students that want to take those programs, we
(18:03):
make sure that they work with those specific vehicles and training,
and they get credit for those particular manufacturers, but it's
not a manufactured standalone program. So when students look at
that potential students and they see all the opportunities and
we have a 99% job placement rate from our all
(18:24):
of our programs, it kind of a win win if
they come to us.
S4 (18:28):
Thanks, Bob, for giving us a glimpse into the incredible
opportunities at Gwinnett Tech's automotive programs and how you're setting
students up for success. Continuing with Gwinnett Tech, we're joined
by Glenn Cannon to talk about their partnership with Mercedes
Benz and how it's creating a direct path for students
to land careers with a global brand. Glenn, can you
tell us more about how this program came together and
the impact it's having?
S7 (18:50):
So Mercedes, actually, the week I got the job, almost
a little over 11 years ago, was the week that Mercedes,
being USA, announced they were moving their headquarters from, uh,
new Jersey to Sandy Springs. And Gwinnett techs just developed
a relationship, and they'd been talking to our automotive people,
(19:11):
and so they wanted to make sure they could get
a quality program. We worked with them on a curriculum
and wound up it's an associate degree, two year program,
but basically into their second semester, they go to work
at a Mercedes dealership in the metro area. So they're
on a paid internship from basically the second semester end.
(19:32):
And then we've had pretty much 100% job placement rate
after they graduate into one of the local Mercedes-Benz dealerships.
And Mercedes was a great partner overall. They've given us
well over $1 million of equipment and improvements. Our lab
was made. We have a specific lab with six lifts
(19:52):
that's just for Mercedes. And it's, uh, it meets all
the specs that a technician center does at any one
of your Mercedes Benz dealerships. We actually have a dealership
number where we're get access to immediate updates on the
computer screens that our instructors and our students are seeing
(20:13):
are live, just like the the same they're seeing the
same information on the same screens that a technician would
at a Mercedes Benz dealership. So it's been a great partnership,
very productive. Uh, my understanding is Mercedes is now repeating
going to duplicate that, repeat that. I believe the first
place is, uh, outside of Louisville, Kentucky, and then possibly
move out west. Uh, but I'm not sure exactly what their,
(20:36):
their overall plans are. I just know that ours has
been extremely successful and we're very thankful for the partnership.
And it's great to see that Mercedes logo, uh, up
in our automotive place and on our campus, because anytime
you can deal with a, a global company like that,
it adds, you know, some cachet to your entire campus
(20:56):
and operations. People know they're dealing with an institution that
has the ability to work with a global partner like that.
S4 (21:03):
Glenn, it's great to hear about the incredible partnership with
Mercedes Benz and how it's opening doors for students. Can
you share how Gwinnett Tech is building on that success
with other big names like Ford and Mazda, to keep
growing opportunities for your students?
S7 (21:16):
Yes, we're very fortunate as well with that. You know,
we're constantly looking to see how can we partner with any,
you know, major global brand we can. Ford has has
a program that they've developed. It's called asset and it's
how they it's a curriculum around how they train their technicians.
We work with that curriculum and converted it into a
(21:39):
technical college diploma program for our students and Ford. For
us to have an asset program, you have to. I
forget how large the area has to be, but for
us it was the metro area, but every dealership in
that area and for us, that's our area. That's 17
Ford dealerships in the metro area had to agree to
(22:00):
join the program for it to be recognized by Ford.
They all did, and they all chipped in money. And
as a little over a, I believe, almost $300,000 that
they gave us for vehicles. And we have Ford lifts,
you know, and plus they gave us, you know, two EVs,
their Ford Mustang and then a truck EV. And we
(22:23):
consider ourselves the, uh, the top EV training program in
Georgia especially. But, uh, I believe in the southeast right now.
And as you evolve in this, uh, you know, one
thing we learned, I learned from our people was that
we had to have a couple of new lifts because
the EVs are quite heavier than a regular car. So
(22:43):
they helped us with that. And it is up and going. And, um,
we've graduated our first students and they'll be working in
four dealerships and uh, I think, uh, you know, it's
been a very productive program so far. And I think, uh,
Ford is really pleased with the program so far. We
also just signed an agreement as our newest agreement with
(23:05):
Mazda and, uh, developed a curriculum with Mazda. And Mazda
actually has insight. It's going to be a program inside
our general automotive program, where general automotive students can get
a specific technical certificates in Mazda technician. And when they
come out, they'll be a, uh, I believe it's called
an advanced Mazda technician according to their hierarchy to be employed. Uh,
(23:30):
and Mazda also put together a benefits package that the
incentive to hire and a benefits package for our students
to entice them when they graduate to go to work
for Mazda. That. Yeah, it was a very it was
a great package. I was ready to go to work
for Mazda myself after they got through presenting it. These
automotive programs are competitive program now. Uh, they're similar to
(23:52):
our health programs. It's very competitive. It's going to take
the top students. Uh, these are extremely complicated computers on wheels,
and it's going to take more and more of a
person with networking, computer skills, diagnostic skills, critical thinking. These
students are not the the automotive technicians that I certainly
(24:14):
grew up with. And this is a you know, they're
working in a clean, air conditioned environment. Uh, and they're
thought of as a professional. So it's a it's just
a great opportunity for our students and people to get
in a highly competitive, well-paying that something that's not just
a job, it's a career in there. So, uh, we're
(24:34):
appreciative of all three of those programs.
S4 (24:37):
Glenn, it's exciting to hear about how Gwinnett Tech is
leading the way with programs like Ford Asset and Mazda's
advanced training. Speaking of innovation, can you tell us how
you're preparing students to tackle the growing demand for EV
charging systems and the opportunities that come with it?
S7 (24:51):
You've seen everything I know everyone has about what's going
on with Georgia and Governor Kemp saying we were going
to be the EV, you know, automotive EV capital of
the US. And I think we certainly are. And we
saw what was going on in manufacturing with, you know,
Kia added an entire line and an expansion over in
(25:11):
West Point and near Lagrange for electric vehicles. We've got
the massive mega plant for Hyundai built right outside of Savannah.
Rivian is, uh, you know, will be a massive project
when it comes to fruition. And we have four large
EV battery plants in Georgia that are just massive operations.
(25:33):
So we have started manufacturing advanced manufacturing in factory in mechatronics.
But we are not, you know, by far one of
the larger manufacturing, uh, specific schools. So I was looking
at and we started talking about, well, how can we
get involved in all these and suddenly realized that, uh,
no one was doing the, the actual charging systems. You know,
(25:54):
those have to be installed, and there's a lot of
maintenance in those EV charging systems. Uh, and that's going
to be a wave of the future for EVs. Ever
really get to get to where, you know, everyone expects
them to be? We're going to have to have a
massive influx of, you know, these charge. We're gonna we're
gonna have to have a Bucky's for charger that's got
chargers at some point in here. So, uh, we were
(26:17):
looking at that and working with Siemens, which is, uh,
you know, their their headquarters is in, uh, Alpharetta, where our, uh,
satellite campus is over in Alpharetta, across from the Avalon.
They are one of the largest manufacturers of the actually
one of the EV charging systems. So we work with them.
They're a great partner. They gave us all the chargers
(26:39):
and our people built a modular training units, and we
teach that at our Alpharetta campus. And it's how to
become a certified installer of the charging machines, because that
as well, uh, you've got to have some, you've got
to have electrical knowledge and you've also got to have
some computer knowledge. Those things, uh, any technician you see
(27:01):
installing or working on one of those charging machines will
have a laptop with them. So that's a good program
we've got with Siemens, and we've just graduated our first class, uh,
in that. And we'll be expanding that, uh, over to
our Gwinnett campus for an additional program as well.
S4 (27:17):
Thanks for listening to Talent Pipeline Georgia, a podcast brought
to you by the Technical College System of Georgia. Visit
us at tcsg for more details. The technical college system
of Georgia. Meaningful careers start here.
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