GNTC celebrates Industrial Career Day 2022 in Rome
High school students in the community had a chance to explore various industrial career pathways and educational opportunities during Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s (GNTC) Industrial Career Day on Friday, Oct. 28, at the Floyd County Campus in Rome.
This was the second Industrial Career Day that GNTC has held this academic year. The first one took place at the Whitfield Murray Campus in Dalton on Oct. 7. Both events were designed to give students insight into the benefits of learning a skilled trade.
“Industrial Career Day gives students an opportunity to put a part in their hands and to see what it’s like to manufacture something,” said Bart Jenkins, program director and instructor of Precision Machining and Manufacturing at GNTC. “It’s always a positive experience to expose students to Precision Machining because most people don’t know what we do.”
Approximately 200 people, including high school students from Calhoun High School, Floyd County Schools College and Career Academy, Polk County College and Career Academy, Rockmart High School, Rome City Schools College and Career Academy, Sonoraville High School, Southeast Whitfield High School and Trion High School, attended the event.
“I enjoy Industrial Career Day because I get the satisfaction that I’ve helped students and told them something they didn’t know,” Nick Barton, Horticulture director and instructor at GNTC, said. Industrial Career Day also provides an opportunity to recruit students for his program and to show them how career opportunities can blossom in Horticulture.
Industrial program directors were on-hand to discuss their programs and provide tours of their labs. There were demonstrations and hands-on learning activities for the industrial programs offered by GNTC.
Cesar Cornejo and Kevin Perez, graduates of GNTC’s Industrial Systems Technology program, explained how their courses at GNTC prepared them for their careers.
“This program teaches you what you need to know to get a good job,” Cornejo, 20, said. “All of the equipment used here at GNTC is what you will use on the job.”
Cornejo, who works at Mannington Mills, pointed to his electrical-safety-rated clothing, explaining it’s not attractive, but it will protect him from injury. He said he earned $23 an hour when he graduated and is now earning $30.
“Not just anyone can go out and do this kind of work because of the knowledge required and safety procedures that need to be followed,” Perez said.
Perez, 25, started working at Georgia Power in 2021, earning $31 per hour. Now he earns $36 per hour.
The industrial labs are housed side by side on Industrial Alley on the Floyd County Campus. This provided a centralized location with access to all of the industrial labs on the Rome campus. Additional industrial programs from other GNTC campuses set up booths outside with activities, games, demonstrations and literature relevant to their programs.
Featured GNTC industrial programs included Air Conditioning Technology, Automotive Technology, Automotive Collision Repair, Construction Management, Horticulture, Industrial Systems Technology, Instrumentation and Controls, Precision Machining and Manufacturing, and Welding and Joining Technology.
“Events like these are game changers for the students, their families and our area high schools,” said Jason Gamel, director of recruitment at GNTC. “Students learn more about our industrial programs as they make decisions about their futures.”
“I’m learning about different programs, opportunities and skills,” said Sharon Vasquez, a senior at Trion High School.
Founded in 1962, Georgia Northwestern Technical College is celebrating 60 years of providing quality workforce education to the citizens of northwest Georgia. Students have the opportunity to earn an associate degree, diploma or a certificate in aviation, business, health, industrial or public service career paths. This past year, 11,134 people benefited from GNTC’s credit and noncredit programs. GNTC has an annual credit enrollment of 8,528 students and an additional enrollment of 2,606 people through adult education, continuing education, business and industry training and Georgia Quick Start. GNTC is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia and an Equal Opportunity Institution.
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