W. T. Standard of W.T. Standard Automotive & Collision met with South Georgia Technical College President Dr. John Watford recently to explore partnership opportunities for training and hiring automotive, auto collision and repair, and diesel engine technicians for his metro Atlanta fleet vehicle businesses.
W.T. Standard Automotive & Collision has been the leader in fleet service and repairs in the Metro Atlanta area since 1985. The company has locations in Norcross, Woodstock, and Atlanta and offers convenient pickup and delivery. They offer collision repairs, mechanical repairs, tires, and on-site service as well as other repair services to keep fleet vehicles on the road. They also employ 15 drivers for the pickup and delivery of drivable vehicles.
“We believe in doing business your way,” said W. T. Standard who is originally from Cordele, GA. “That means it’s always our desire to satisfy each and every customer. We’ve made a commitment to concentrate on the needs of fleet managers while continuously working to improve our service offerings.”
SGTC President Dr. John Watford met with Standard as well as Colony Bank President Bob Evans and Colony Bank Vice President Jeffery Hester. Dr. Watford gave the individuals a tour of the SGTC Americus campus. He shared information with them about partnerships the college currently offers with Caterpillar for the Heavy Equipment Dealer Service Technician program, John Deere for Agricultural Technology program and Delta Airlines in the Aviation Maintenance field.
“We are powered by partnerships,” said Dr. Watford. “Our mission is workforce education. We provide the training for individuals to get great hands-on careers. Many times people think that students are our customers, but really our main customer is the employers who hire our students. The students are our products and we work very hard to train individuals that are in demand with business and industry.”
South Georgia Technical College has a 99% job placement rate for graduates. It also provides a guarantee to business and industry leaders to retrain individuals at no cost if they are found lacking in the skills needed to fulfill an entry level position.
Dr. Watford also gave Standard, Evans, and Jefferies a tour of the college’s automotive repair shop and introduced him to Instructor Brandon Dean. The group toured the Diesel Technology shop and the Auto Collision and Repair lab and talked with Instructor Starlyn Sampson. Students from each of the programs were invited to take a field trip to W.T. Standard’s shops in the Metro Atlanta area.
South Georgia Technical College is one of only two technical colleges in Georgia with on-campus housing. The on-campus housing allows the college to recruit and train individuals from throughout the Southeastern United States. “Individuals can come to South Georgia Tech for training, live on campus and then return to their homes to work,” said Dr. Watford. South Georgia Technical College offers over 200 associate degree, diploma, and technical certificate of credit programs.
