Officials from Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., in Brunswick, Ga. visited South Georgia Technical College recently and toured the 42,000 square foot SGTC Griffin Bell Aerospace Technology Center which houses the college’s aviation maintenance, avionics, and aircraft structural academic programs. Gulfstream is working with SGTC to hire aviation maintenance, avionics, aircraft structural and other related program graduates as the company continues to grow and expand its operations.
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. operates the largest factory-owned service network in the business-aviation industry. The Gulfstream service center in Brunswick has expanded to include a nearly 110,000-square-foot hangar at the Brunswick Golden Isles Airport to complement an adjacent Gulfstream maintenance facility and completions center. The Brunswick facilities accommodates all Gulfstream aircraft models.
“On behalf of the South Georgia Technical College administration, faculty, and staff, I would like to thank you for visiting South Georgia Tech,” said President Dr. John Watford when he welcomed the Gulfstream officials. “Our college is the longest operating aviation maintenance training facility in Georgia and the United States. Our aviation maintenance training facility has been FAA approved since 1948. We were an army air corps training facility for World War I prior to becoming an education facility.”
The Gulfstream officials visiting SGTC included: Becky Elliott, Director, Completions – Brunswick; Scott Carver, Service Team Manager – Brunswick; and Kristi Kim, Collegiate Relations Specialist. Carver is a graduate of the SGTC Aviation Maintenance program and was familiar with the college.
The group met with President Watford, SGTC Vice President of Academic Affairs David Kuipers, SGTC Vice President of Institutional Advancement Su Ann Bird, SGTC Business and Industry Services Paul Farr and SGTC Director of Career Services Cynthia Carter before touring the SGTC Griffin Bell Aerospace Technology Center and meeting with aviation maintenance, avionics, and aircraft structural instructors Victoria Herron, Charles Christmas, David Grant, Paul Pearson, and Jason Wisham.
While visiting SGTC, Gulfstream officials spoke with college administrators about the company’s employment needs and also spoke with SGTC’s aviation maintenance instructors and students about career opportunities at Gulfstream.
South Georgia Technical College is one of 22 colleges in the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) and is one of only two technical colleges in the state with on-campus housing. SGTC is the only technical college in Georgia with on-campus housing that offers aviation maintenance technology, avionics, and aircraft structural technology programs. The staff has over 75 years of industry experience from the private sector and military or federal bases in addition to their teaching experience.
Approximately 60 students are currently enrolled in the aviation programs at SGTC. It takes six terms or 90 semester hours to complete the aviation maintenance program. SGTC has been named the best community college in Georgia for the third consecutive year by Niche.com and had the 2018 national SkillsUSA winner in the aviation maintenance competition. It consistently has top finishers in the state and national competition. SGTC had a finalist in the 2021 SkillsUSA competition.