Siemens Donates Advanced Technology to Support Georgia’s THINC College & Career Academy
- Siemens provides $100,000 investment of automation hardware and training
- Gov. Deal and thought leaders discuss the skills gap and economic opportunities
- Siemens-Kia-THINC foster public-private partnership for workforce training
At a community and industry event held today at the Kia Georgia Training Center in West Point, Georgia, Siemens Digital Factory,
U.S. President, Raj Batra, announced the donation of $100,000 in automation hardware and expert training to support career pathways
in manufacturing and engineering at the THINC College & Career Academy located in LaGrange.
This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160921006421/en/
Front row: Stuart Countess, Chief Administrative Officer, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, Raj Batra, President,
Siemens Digital Factory US; Back row left: Hyun-Jong Shin, President and CEO, Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia; Back row right:
Chris Carr, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Economic Development at Kia Digital Training Center, West Point, GA (Photo:
Business Wire)
During the event, Governor Nathan Deal emphasized Georgia’s commitment to further fostering public-private-academic partnerships
to train the workforce of the future. “We value the continued investments from Kia and Siemens in Georgia and we respect the vision
of the companies’ leadership,” said Deal. “The strong relationships between the company, the community and the state are a model
for the kind of partnerships we strive for, as we cultivate the next generation workforce.”
THINC, designed as a public charter program for high school students in Troup County, was created by a diverse, public-private
partnership, offering students the ability to earn college credit at West Georgia Technical College, Point University and LaGrange
College, as part of the Move On When Ready Dual Enrollment program.
Since its opening in 2009, Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG) has provided more than $3.54 million in support, funding and
scholarships to THINC, including its Power to Surprise Innovation Center. In addition to offering career pathways that include
manufacturing and engineering, THINC also teaches students 13 key fundamental soft skills, such as teamwork, problem solving,
communication and cooperation.
Siemens, in partnership with its local distributor, AWC, Inc., will provide automation hardware for THINC’s mechatronics
laboratory, where students will receive hands-on training, for example, by programming robotic movements. “By partnering with
Siemens, THINC mechatronic students will be fully prepared to pursue their career choice, while also being able to offer valuable
skills to the future workforce. As a steward of training the next generation of manufacturing employees, we need to make
experiential learning a greater focus of our education – this is where our partnership with KMMG and THINC is a natural fit,
ensuring students are trained and fluent with one of the most popular and powerful brands in automation,” says Raj Batra,
President, Siemens Digital Factory, U.S.
THINC joins hundreds of educational institutions across the country as part of the Siemens Cooperates with Education (SCE)
program, whereby schools partner with Siemens on leading edge industrial technologies in their classrooms, research projects and
workforce development initiatives. SCE was established to provide support through equipment, software, instructor and technical
guidance. This is the latest of a series of investments as part of Siemens overall commitment to address the workforce skills
gap.
During the event, Georgia policy makers, local business leaders and manufacturing executives gathered to discuss best practices,
trends and challenges in workforce development. In addition to Gov. Deal’s address, attendees heard from Stuart C. Countess, Chief
Administrative Officer, Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia; Paul Ryan, VP of Trade and Competitiveness, Association of Global
Automakers; Chris Carr, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development; Matt Arthur, Deputy Commissioner, Technical
College System of Georgia; Martin Pleyer, Chief Operating Officer, Grenzebach and Gail Norris, Director, Technical Training
Services, Siemens. According to Batra, the automation hardware being donated to THINC is the same type of equipment that can be
found in more than 90 percent of automotive factories globally, including KMMG.
Siemens has approximately 2,500 employees in Georgia, primarily in the metropolitan Atlanta area, which is headquarters for
three divisions in the U.S., including Digital Factory, Energy Management and Process Industries & Drives. Siemens has a
long-standing relationship with Georgia Tech, pursuing manufacturing innovation through software, conducting frontier-pushing
research that supports digital product development. Additionally, in a collaborative effort with the Georgia Workforce Initiative,
Siemens established a Manufacturing Pathways Program with Lanier Technical College and South Forsyth High School featuring a work
study program for careers in manufacturing.
This press release, press photos, video and further materials are available at http://siemensusa.synapticdigital.com/Kia
Siemens Corporation is a U.S. subsidiary of Siemens AG, a global powerhouse focusing on the areas of electrification,
automation and digitalization. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is a
leading supplier of systems for power generation and transmission as well as medical diagnosis. With approximately 348,000
employees in more than 190 countries, Siemens reported worldwide revenue of $86.2 billion in fiscal 2015. Siemens in the USA
reported revenue of $22.4 billion, including $5.5 billion in exports, and employs approximately 50,000 people throughout all 50
states and Puerto Rico.
For journalists
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Robert.bartels@siemens.com
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corinne.hodges@kmmgusa.com
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