Three students from South Georgia Technical College (SGTC) ranked nationally in the 2021 virtual SkillsUSA National Competition. Tison Smith of Leesburg, GA, and Patrick Hortman of Ellaville, GA captured the Bronze medal in the national Additive Manufacturing competition and Jonathan Camp of Senoia, GA was one of nine finalists in the Aviation Maintenance Technology event.
“This is a tremendous honor for these students, their instructors, and for South Georgia Technical College,” said SGTC President Dr. John Watford. “Each of these three students won Gold Medals in the Georgia SkillsUSA competition and were deemed to be the best of the best in their respective fields in Georgia. That allowed them to advance to the national stage where each of them further distinguished themselves as some of the best in their fields.”
Dr. Watford added that the SkillsUSA competition awards validate the hands-on technical education that South Georgia Technical College provides. “We are preparing individuals for the workforce and today each of you has demonstrated that you have the top skills to compete state-wide and nationally against the best students in your field,” said Dr. Watford after the finalists were announced. “We appreciate the time and effort that you dedicated to these projects and also the guidance and support that you received from your instructors to earn this type of recognition.”
SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA serves middle-school, high-school and college/postsecondary students preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skills service (including health) occupations. Hundreds of students participated in the SkillsUSA local, regional and state-wide competition and only the first-place winners from each event advanced to the national competition.
“I am very proud of Tison Smith, Patrick Hortman, and Jonathan Camp, who each won gold medals at the state competition, but I am also proud of the other students who competed, for stepping up to see how they stack up against individuals across the state. This is a tremendous opportunity for both students and instructors to learn what industry wants in the next generation workforce,” added Dr. Watford. “And your top finishes in this national competition is a testament to you and your instructors.”
South Georgia Technical College Precision Machining and Manufacturing students Tison Smith and Patrick Hortman competed against 27 other SkillsUSA State Champions from across the nation in the National Skills USA Additive Manufacturing competition and walked away with the Bronze Medal for third place nationally. This is the second year in a row that Tison Smith has earned the right to compete at the national level for SkillsUSA competitions in the additive manufacturing competition. The SGTC Precision Machining and Manufacturing Program and its students have secured three state SkillsUSA championships and third and fourth-place finishes in nationals in the last three years under the guidance of instructor Chad Brown.
As part of their competition, Smith and Hortman were given an additive manufacturing project to complete. The design had strict requirements on form, fit, and function of compact and intricate designs. Competitors used knowledge of 3D printing to design a part which prints within the specified build volume, materials, and times specified by the judges. This portion of the virtual competition took over 8.5 hours to complete.
The two students were also required to complete a three-hour certification exam and a virtual Presentation of Concept and Design Notebook. Smith and Hortman and the other contestants utilized their skills in 3D CAD, while also demonstrating their ability to design for the advantages of additive manufacturing, accounting for limitations of major 3D printing technologies, advocating for design choices, and utilizing creativity to solve physical problems with real constraints. 3D printing plays a role in nearly every industry, from teaching creativity in education to designing surgical guides in difficult medical procedures as well as providing cost savings in manufacturing.
In the Aviation Maintenance SkillsUSA competition, Jonathan Camp had to perform 12 tasks that represent the types of maintenance they will handle in the aircraft industry. The contest scope is consistent with the airframe and power plant mechanics certification guide published by the Federal Aviation Administration. Aviation maintenance is the only maintenance profession certified by the federal government. Aviation Maintenance instructors Victoria Herron, Charles Christmas, David Grant, and Paul Pearson worked with Camp to help prepare him for the competition.
South Georgia Technical College has over 200 associate degree, diploma, and technical certificate of credit programs and offers students the complete college experience with on-campus housing, nationally ranked intercollegiate athletics, and nationally recognized student activity opportunities. SGTC also has a 99% job placement rate for graduates.
The college is currently registering students for Fall Semester which begins August 18th. For more information about the Precision Machining and Manufacturing Program contact instructor Chad Brown at cbrown@southgatech.edu or 229-931-2573. To learn more about the Aviation Maintenance program contact lead instructor Victoria Herron at 229-931-2584 or vherron@southgatech.edu. For all other program information visit www.southgatech.edu or contact Admissions director Candie Walters at cwalters@southgatech.edu.