A dream first seeded when Ogeechee Technical College began offering training in industrial robotics in 2019, furthered in 2021 after a meeting with the Development Authority of Bulloch County and funded by the state of Georgia in 2023 was launched into realty Thursday with the official opening of the Georgia Training Center for Industrial Operations.

“Today, we celebrate a gateway to advancement for individuals and a catalyst for growth across our community,” OTC President Lori Durden said at Thursday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony inside the Center on A.J. Riggs Road, just south of the Ogeechee Tech campus on Highway 301 South. “We want to do our part to ensure the people of this region are prepared to take advantage of the opportunities that economic growth brings.”

The 39,777-square-foot facility expands the college’s industrial operations training program as southeast Georgia sees mounting demand for skilled maintenance technicians and automation specialists. It also gives the region a unique advantage in recruiting industries and training workers.

Durden was joined Thursday by Jan Moore, OTC’s vice president for Economic Development, Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Greg Dozier, Speaker of the Georgia House Jon Burns, State Sen. Billy Hickman, State Rep. Lehman Franklin and Benjy Thompson, executive director for the Development Authority. Also, about 200 members of the community packed the main lobby/conference area of the Center to join in the celebration.

The Center houses 12 industrial labs, classrooms, computer labs and meeting spaces filled with state-of-the-art equipment and programs that are focused on preparing trainees for the demands of the workforce now and in the future.

“This center is a unique asset,” Thompson said. “There's nothing like it in the state of Georgia.”

The state provided $26.5 million in funding for the new center. The Development Authority of Bulloch County donated land valued at $595,000, and Bulloch County committed $663,500 toward an access road.

Training Center mission

The mission of the Training Center extends beyond providing a new learning space: It’s to prepare workers to keep the region’s growing manufacturing economy running. The Center will serve as a training resource for existing employers, allowing companies to send workers for individual classes, instruction on specific equipment or more extensive apprenticeship programs.

Training can address anything from electrical systems to programmable logic controllers, or PLCs, the computers that direct automated machinery.

The arrangement brings company-specific expertise to workers without requiring local employers to send them across the country. While the college works with national companies, most of the Center’s training is designed to strengthen the regional workforce.

“Our vision is that each and every person in every single part of this state has the opportunity for economic prosperity,” Dozier said. “This center will more than double Ogeechee Tech's training capacity. It will provide customized training for manufacturers and other industries throughout the region. That means more employers will have access to a skilled workforce they need in order to grow. It means more Georgians will have access to good-paying careers close to home. And it means this region will even be better positioned to compete for future investments.”

Growth in southeast Georgia

Industrial and manufacturing growth in southeast Georgia has been boosted by the Port of Savannah for years and supercharged with the opening of the Hyundai Motor Group’s Metaplant in Bryan County in 2024. More than a dozen manufacturing plants in operation in southeast Georgia are directly related to the Metaplant, including three in Bulloch County. Most use advanced forms of robotics in their manufacturing process.

“We all know that here in southeast Georgia, we've witnessed exceptional growth as manufacturers from across the country and around the world have decided to locate and invest and grow in the communities here,” Speaker Burns said. “Creating jobs is just the first step of that whole process. The Center will ensure we have a skilled workforce that can take advantage of the opportunities that are created for our people.”

In addition to training the existing workforce, Ogeechee Tech offers different paths into advanced manufacturing. In fact, the college’s Industrial Operations Technology diploma program launched in the current fall semester with an initial cohort of about 12 to 15 students. Designed for people entering the field, the program teaches the foundational skills needed to maintain manufacturing equipment. Moore said the program is expected to grow significantly and employers already have expressed interest in hiring students before they complete their diplomas.

“When we see this type of growth and continued growth in Bulloch County, it just makes me feel good,” Sen. Hickman said. “I've always wanted our children to have an opportunity to stay here. And if they didn't stay here, I didn't want it because we didn't provide the opportunity. I want it because they wanted to leave.

“And we're definitely providing those opportunities. I'm excited because this Center will position Georgia, and, in particular, our region for continued growth and higher paying jobs. This facility will produce and train a workforce that will be a valuable part of that growth.”

Morris Multimedia growth and development reporter Lucille Lannigan contributed to this story.