West Georgia Technical College has been awarded a $500,000 grant by the U.S. Department of Education to expand an existing program that trains students in a modern industrial skill set that is in high demand.

The program, called the Industrial Maintenance Education Center, is attractive to both younger and older adults who may have been laid off from a previous job and are looking to get retrained in a marketable field, said WGTC officials. It’s also vital to local industry looking for highly trained workers.

“This grant is a real shot in the arm for local industry, as it allows the college to provide the training in industrial maintenance they need,” said Dr. Skip Sullivan, president of WGTC. “The DOE grant is evidence that we’re not the only ones who believe this program is vital.”

The three-year grant will be used to purchase equipment and supplies and also to hire faculty to provide training for the high-demand field of automation equipment maintenance and repair. The field is increasing in importance as more and more businesses become automated and this program addresses the specific needs of local industry.

Documented support for the creation of the program was provided by Carroll County Chamber of Commerce, Decostar Industries, Meriwether Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Power-Plant Yates, Pilgrim’s Pride, Meriwether County Development Authority, Douglasville Development Authority, Douglas County Chamber of Commerce, and Haralson County Chamber of Commerce.

The widespread support is an indication of the need for the program and the many industries that will benefit from the qualified employees coming from the program, said Dr. Pete Snell of the WGTC Economic Development Division.

During a meeting of regional manufacturers in late 2008 hosted by the West Georgia Advanced Manufacturing Industry Partner Network Certified Work Ready Region, local manufacturers discussed their mostly highly demanded workforce skills, including industrial maintenance, and predicted the need would continue for years to come. Around the same time, local and larger industry approached WGTC about creating a program to fill that need.

“West Georgia Tech specializes in workforce development, and this program is a great example of the way we can craft a program to specifically address the needs of local business and industry,” Sullivan said.

The program was also designed to help displaced workers and adult learners gain marketable skills.

In this tough economy, that population has been returning to school in record numbers and WGTC has been seeing double digit enrollment growth since June 2007, said Ben Chambers, spokesman for WGTC.

The program was created with those workers in mind and includes a number of qualities that make it attractive to them.

It will be offered as a non-credit program, which means fewer admission requirements such as transcripts and standardized test scores that might intimidate adult learners and keep them from enrolling in post-secondary education.

The program can also be customized for the student, including only the elements needed in his or her circumstances, making the program efficient for already experienced workers. Additionally, the courses are a combination of online and hands-on, lab-based instruction that allows flexibility in scheduling that adult students appreciate.

After completing the program, students are awarded a Certificate of Completion that can then be applied to a for-credit program if the student opts to continue. That may encourage new adult students to continue on in their education beyond the certificate.