THOMASVILLE – Students in the automotive and welding programs at Thomas County Central High School have taken a deeper look into the manufacturing industry thanks to a Workforce for Georgia grant awarded by the Georgia Power Foundation for Public Education. The grant, totaling $48,937, supported activities to help students learn more about manufacturing processes and the role manufacturers play in our local economy.

Dr. Beth Adams, Thomas County Schools director of Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE), and Michael Clapper, TCCHS automotive instructor, applied for the grant last spring after discussing the need to prepare students for the manufacturing industry. Together, they decided they needed an innovative way to increase the manufacturing talent pipeline in Thomas County.

“We’ve had many conversations with our local business leaders about the need to strengthen our educational ties to the different manufacturing industries in our areas,” Adams said. “It has been a focus of Imagine Thomasville and a big part of our summer School to Business summits. We found, however, that our students knew very little about the manufacturing industry and weren’t really interested in pursuing those types of careers.”

Grant funds were used to purchase six Z-space 3-D laptops along with manufacturing, automotive, and welding modules to help students gain a better understanding of these industries while exposing them to state-of-the-art technology. The laptops, housed in the automotive computer lab at TCCHS, are being used with students in the automotive and welding programs as they learn more about manufacturing processes and the types of skills needed to be successful in the industry.

TCCHS Junior Rylan Dowdy believes the Z-space equipment will give his generation a huge head start as they prepare for the jobs of the future.

“I have used this program, and I have been astonished by the performance of it,” Dowdy said. “The depth the 3D aspect brings is unreal and helps bring out a much better understanding of the way things work.”

Students toured Check-Mate Industries earlier in the fall to spark their interest and prepare them to dive into the new curriculum.

“The tour to CheckMate is a great experience,” Jaye’ Eason, a senior at TCCHS, said. “We were able to see where the information that we learned in the classroom is being used at a job.”

Clapper, who completed an internship at Check-Mate Industries last summer as a part of the GIFT (Georgia Intern-Fellowships for Teachers) program through Georgia Tech, was the ideal teacher to help take up this initiative.

“The opportunity to intern with Check-Mate Industries helped me as a teacher to understand new ways to integrate manufacturing into the automotive classroom, bridging the gap between theory and real-world application,” Clapper said. “GIFT provided me with this opportunity to work side by side with various employees at various levels in the company. This opportunity helped me to identify new resources that I was able to then relate to the automotive classroom.”

In addition to learning new skills to take back to the classroom, Clapper believes the experience also allowed him to form relationships with potential employers, helping to fill local employment needs and teach students skills needed to fill those jobs.

GIFT is a professional development program for Georgia K-12 teachers which provides STEM internships in university research labs, industry, and informal science educational institutions. The GIFT program in Thomas County was coordinated by the Georgia Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing (AIM) program at Southern Regional Technical College. According to its website, Georgia AIM was created to leverage AI innovation and propel Georgia manufacturing into the future.

Along with Z-space learning modules, teachers conducted classroom activities with students to make sure they understood just how interconnected manufacturing is with their daily lives. Travis Barrett, TCCHS welding instructor, used an AI generated podcast to engage students in a discussion about manufacturing processes in the welding industry. The biggest connection he helped students make was to recognize one of their most important prized possessions comes from manufacturing, the cell phone.

“I really wanted students to be aware that a career in manufacturing can be obtained around our local community,” Barrett stated. “Companies such as Cleaver Brooks, Flowers Baking Company, and Check-Mate are looking for young, hard workers to help their businesses grow.”

The instructors are also using information from the manufacturing teaching unit to help students set postsecondary and career goals. For example, they highlighted a new program at Southern Regional Technical College which provides opportunities for students to transition into a diploma or degree program in precision machining and manufacturing.

“Opening a new manufacturing pathway at the high school level wasn’t feasible because we have not generated enough student interest,” Adams said. “But leveraging our partnership with the Georgia AIM program at SRTC was the ideal way to make sure our students have additional educational opportunities, and in turn, make sure our employers have the workforce they need to be competitive.”

Clapper and Barrett plan to monitor student interest and engagement as they continue using the manufacturing unit to determine how to improve their instruction in the future. Adams also plans to continue engaging with local employers to build stronger partnerships while working to ensure students in the CTAE program at TCCHS are workforce ready when they graduate.

“Manufacturing is becoming a lost art, and many students forget that everything they buy has been manufactured at some point,” Clapper pointed out. “It’s our job as educators to make them aware of the opportunities that are out there and hopefully spark some interest from the lessons.”

As an educator, Clapper’s ultimate goal has always been to empower students with hands-on skills to bridge the gap between education and employment, preparing them for the demands of today’s workforce. He believes this grant has provided an opportunity for him to continue pursuing that goal with his students in Thomas County.