The Effingham Industrial Development Authority has voted to support the expansion of workforce development training with the construction of a Precision Manufacturing Lab at the Effingham Campus of Savannah Technical College.
The commitment, $100,000 over five years, will help the college build and equip a state-of-the-art lab at its Effingham Campus.
This new construction will nearly double the lab space currently available for industrial-related instruction and will be customized to support the specific industries that operate in the region, according to college officials.
“We are delighted that the IDA has stepped forward to support this initiative,” said college president Kathy Love. “We are excited about the tremendous interest that continues to be shown in Effingham and across the region.”
Love said the college’s machine tool and welding programs are thriving at the Effingham campus and are primed for expansion.
“We know that our manufacturing partners throughout the region require a highly-skilled workforce in order to continue to thrive,” she said.
Authority CEO John Henry said supporting the Savannah Tech initiative just made sense.
“We work closely with companies that are looking to locate or expand in our region and workforce is always a central factor in their decisions,” Henry said. “We expect that our manufacturers will want to join in this effort as well, since it directly benefits their businesses.”
Savannah Tech is in the midst of a $10 million capital campaign, with $5 million devoted to precision manufacturing and plans to expand manufacturing at its Liberty and Savannah campuses as well.