COVINGTON, Ga. - Monday, before a packed room of invited guests, Georgia Piedmont Technical College (GPTC) officially announced the roll-out of its new Advanced Manufacturing Lab.

Attendees included Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) Deputy Commissioner Matt Arthur; community, business and top manufacturing leaders from Rockdale, Newton, Morgan and DeKalb counties; K-12 school superintendents and CEOs of the region’s career academies; and many elected and appointed officials from throughout the college’s four-county service area.

“We get it. Forward-thinking businesses such as those represented here today, combined with educational institutions that train their workforces, such as Georgia Piedmont Tech, recognize the importance and significance of the digital industrial interface - the ways in which man and machine interact like never before in human history,” Dr. Jabari Simama, GPTC president, said during his opening statement.  “A properly trained workforce IS a competitive advantage for our business partners.  It is our job, with our business and community partners’ support, to develop the talents of our students with the proper training and equipment to ensure they are job ready upon graduation.”

The update, held on the college’s Newton campus, also presented a welcome from Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) Commissioner Gretchen Corbin, who said, “TCSG is pleased to provide nearly $1 million from its World Class Lab fund to bring state-of-the-art technology to Newton County to ensure that industries in the area will have the best facilities for training their workforce today and in the future.  Technical training and apprenticeships have proven to prepare workers better for entering industry ready-to-work.  That’s what we do best in the Technical College System.”

“This Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory at Georgia Piedmont is the type of forward-thinking initiative that gets us excited about the future…The future of our workforce, the future of industry and the future of Georgia,” said TCSG’s Deputy Commissioner Matt Arthur.  “Congratulations to the business community, Dr. Simama, and the rest of the team at Georgia Piedmont.  This lab represents the type of partnership between the college and business & industry that gives Georgia a significant competitive advantage in the global marketplace.”

The lab is designed for individuals who are interested in pursuing manufacturing sector careers.