On November 3, 2022, West Georgia Technical College (WGTC) held a lab naming reception to unveil the new Southwire Precision Manufacturing and Maintenance Lab located at the WGTC Carroll Campus. The renewed commitment and partnership with Southwire represent a total contribution of $500,000 from the industry-leading manufacturer over the next three years and includes the expansion of opportunities for programming and training.

“We are so grateful to Southwire for their support and dedication to our College, as well as the ongoing commitment to furthering the advancement, education and training of our manufacturing students,” said Brittney Henderson, Executive Director of Institutional Advancement and the Foundation of WGTC. “This new state-of-the-art lab now has life because of Southwire’s generous donation.”

In addition to naming the lab, Southwire will also provide equipment and partner with WGTC to foster corporate training relationships through the College’s Economic Development and Community Affairs and Adult Education divisions.

“The equipment purchased by Southwire will go a long way towards preparing WGTC’s students for future employment, and we couldn’t be more grateful for their continuous support of WGTC,” said Dr. Julie Post, President of WGTC.

Precision Manufacturing and Maintenance is an associate degree program designed to develop versatile skills required for a variety of manufacturing positions, with emphasis on diagnosing and maintaining complex integrated systems. Courses prepare students to install, program, operate, maintain, service and diagnose electromechanical equipment and produce precision parts used in manufacturing applications.

“At Southwire, we want to remain generationally-sustainable for the next 100 years and beyond, and we’re investing significantly to prepare for the future,” said Kathleen Edge, Southwire’s executive vice president of operations. “It is critical for us to have an even stronger pipeline of talented people who enter our doors equipped with the skills, training and certifications that will allow them to meaningfully contribute to this growth. Our renewed partnership with WGTC broadens our opportunity to collaborate even more closely – through programming and connecting experience and technology in a way that will equip our current and future workforce for success.”

For more information about the Precision Manufacturing and Maintenance Program at WGTC, please visit www.westgatech.edu.