Three apprentices from Germany are attending classes at West Georgia Technical College this month and will be training at some of the state’s international companies next month as part of an apprenticeship exchange program with the Technical College System of Georgia and a German foundation.

Julia Daxberger, Leonard Gopp and Sascha Melinz have been taking various classes at the Carroll Campus since last Monday and have so far enjoyed the first leg of their American journey. The students range in age between 18 and 21 years old.

Daxberger is taking Business Management classes, while Gopp and Melinz take Machine Tool Technology and Welding and Joining Technology classes, respectively. All three students are also enrolled in various core classes at the Carroll Campus.

After March 31, the three apprentices (known as “azubis” in German) will become interns for up to 10 weeks at different companies, with two students staying in Georgia and the third traveling to Detroit, Mich.

The program – funded by and administered through the Herz Foundation based in Hamburg – was founded in 2015, when TCSG colleges hosted 12 apprentices.

“Student apprenticeships are an increasingly popular and effective way to fill jobs for which there is a high demand in Georgia,” said Gretchen Corbin, Commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia. “As Georgia becomes home to more and more companies that operate internationally, it’s important that our present and future workforce have every opportunity to get a hands-on education.”

In addition to taking classes at West Georgia Tech, the three students have enjoyed seeing the sights of Atlanta and west Georgia. They’ve taken an afternoon bicycle ride on the Carrollton GreenBelt and will visit Historic Banning Mills Adventure Park later this week to ride the zip-lining course.