Augusta Technical College has received a $750,000 donation from Syensqo to develop a mobile learning center.
A news release said the mobile unit will address critical challenges while supporting workforce enhancement and community development.
“The lasting impact of COVID-19 and growing inflation have created significant barriers for students, particularly those from economically disadvantaged and rural backgrounds. Augusta Tech’s response, supported by Syensqo, aims to mitigate these challenges by providing more remote offerings through this state-of-the-art mobile lab,” read the release.
“That is going to be used for our new mobile lab that we’ll be using for training, including pneumatics, hydraulics, electrical, industrial all of those types of topics and industrial subjects. We’ll be able to take the mobile lab and go out into the rural areas and actually train on-site,” Julie Langham, Vice President of Economic Development at Augusta Tech told ABD.
One of the areas that will benefit when the mobile training center hits the road will be two large employers coming to Burke County. TMC Transformers USA and Ritz Instrument Transformers are building new facilities in the Burke County Industrial Park. Those manufacturers will create a total of 240 new jobs.
“We have a campus in Burke County, and we have a campus in Augusta and Thompson and Grovetown, but often they can’t get there,” said Langham. “We can also use it with high schools or any other kind of training where they just can’t get to the site, and we’ll be able to pull up, have some training right there on site, and then however long it needs to get them trained.”
The mobile lab will provide hands-on training, simulations, virtual reality, and working models. In addition to providing the training needed in today’s manufacturing and workforce demands, it will increase the pool of workers for the growing demand for skilled technicians.
“At Syensqo, we believe that investing in education is essential to building a sustainable future,” Mike Finelli, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer and Chief North America Officer at Syensqo was quoted in the news release. “We’re proud to support Augusta Technical College in preparing the next generation for high-quality jobs in the growing clean energy sector. We are investing in the future of this community and in the success of our shared vision to advance the sustainable mobility transition.”
Langham said the college is using a mobile unit it currently owns. It is being repurposed for its new mission.
“This initiative demonstrates the college’s dedication to broadening access to quality education and enhancing local workforce development through innovative solutions like the mobile lab. We are grateful for our partnership with Syensqo and their commitment to workforce development,” she said.
Syensqo said supporting the mobile training lab is part of the plan to build the largest North American production facility for electric vehicle materials at its plant off Tobacco Road in Augusta. The facility is expected to create 100 manufacturing jobs that will need skilled workers.
