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Coca-Cola Puts Commercial Truck Drivers on the Road
THE COCA-COLA COMPANY PLEDGES $1 MILLION TO PUT MORE GEORGIA COMMERCIAL TRUCK DRIVERS ON THE ROAD
The Coca-Cola Company announced a $1 million donation to the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) Foundation for its system’s Commercial Truck Driving Program . The Coca-Cola Company also announced “Delivering the Future: The Coca-Cola System & Technical College System of Georgia Truck Tour” to raise awareness of TCSG’s Commercial Truck Driving Program and career opportunities with local bottler Coca-Cola UNITED .
“As residents and businesses across the state work to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to invest in our communities and provide opportunities that will improve the lives of our fellow Georgians,” said Alfredo Rivera, president of The Coca-Cola Company’s North America Operating Unit . “We are proud of our Georgia roots and will continue to do our part to keep Georgia strong .”
Businesses and consumers rely on Georgia’s trucking industry, which moves more than 435 million tons of goods across the state each year as the logistics and transportation hub of the Southeast (Georgia Department of Transportation, 2019) . Today, this industry is facing challenges, having lost 6% of its workers nationally since the COVID-19 pandemic began, compounding an existing driver shortage that is expected to top 160,000 by 2028 (American Trucking Association, 2019) .
“Despite the challenges of the last two years, the trucking industry remained steadfast as a foundational driver of the nation’s economy, delivering essential goods to help businesses stay open and to reopen,” said Mark Rahiya, chief supply chain, technical and innovation officer, The Coca-Cola Company . “By supporting TCSG’s Commercial Truck Driving Program trainers and faculty, we’re making sure the next generation of drivers gets a world-class education while simultaneously working to address the driver shortage and provide opportunity for Georgians .”
The $1 million investment marks The Coca-Cola Company’s latest effort to help facilitate Georgia’s economic development and support critical job training and opportunities across its home state . By creating 11 new full-time instructor roles and two parttime instructor roles, the investment supports TCSG’s greatest need, recruiting and retaining talented trainers . In addition, the donation supplements the $8 .32 million of support from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER II) that will provide facility upgrades, with the goal of doubling enrollment of commercial drivers across Georgia from 1,705 to 3,410 in 2023 . Finally, this investment aims to ensure more drivers are in the pipeline to help fill trucking industry jobs with local Coca-Cola bottler Coca-Cola UNITED and other businesses across the state .
“We are grateful for our partnership with The Coca-Cola Company and Coca-Cola UNITED and look forward to leveraging this investment to attract more best-in-class trainers who are the foundation of our program,” said Greg Dozier, commissioner, Technical College System of Georgia . “With the expansion of the program, this investment will allow us to prepare more commercial truck drivers to enter the industry, helping to ensure the continued transport of goods upon which we rely across the state .”
The Coca-Cola Company, alongside Coca-Cola UNITED, has generated a positive economic impact in Georgia for more than 135 years . Today, with more than 30 Coca-Cola facilities across the state employing more than 9,400 Georgians, the system provides beverages for more than 41,000 Georgia businesses that offer daily refreshment for the state’s 10 .5 million residents .
In addition to helping grow Georgia’s economy and supporting job opportunities for Georgians, The Coca-Cola Company has invested $13 .8 million in Georgia since 2016 to improve community wellbeing, empower women, and protect the environment where employees live and work . In addition, The Coca-Cola Foundation has invested $105 million since 2016 to support youth development and education, female entrepreneurs, access to clean water, water conservation, and recycling programs across the state .
(l to r) TCSG Commissioner Greg Dozier; Alfredo Rivera, president of The Coca-Cola Company’s North America Operating Unit; Gianetta Jones, vice president and chief people officer, Coca-Cola UNITED; Mike Suco, senior vice president and chief commercial officer, Coca-Cola UNITED; John Sherman, Coca-Cola UNITED CEO.
LAUREN CLARK
Associate of Science in Nursing (RN) Wiregrass Georgia Technical College ‘15
Lauren Clark of Valdosta knew even as a little girl that she wanted to become a nurse and honestly did not see herself being anything else .
After graduating from Victory Christian
School in Valdosta, Clark enrolled at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College and began work on her core classes for allied health .
At the time she enrolled at Wiregrass, her plans were to complete her core and then apply to another college to pursue her associate of science in nursing (RN) .
Clark’s transfer plans changed when she learned that Wiregrass would be offering an associate of science in nursing degree just at the perfect time .
“I heard about the Wiregrass nursing program that was starting the semester after I finished my core and decided to try it since it was closer to home,” said Clark . “I’m so glad I did . I also wanted an ASN degree, as opposed to BSN, initially because I knew that an ASN was more hands-on experience and that would be priceless going into my field.”
Lauren credits her instructors at Wiregrass for preparing her for her career as a nurse .
“I could not have made it through without the instructors,” Clark said . “They were tough because they cared and wanted us to be safe and competent nurses when we entered the nursing field. In clinical rotations, they were always seeking out something for us to do or help with because they knew that was the best way for us to learn . And it paid off in the end .”
Since graduating from Wiregrass Tech in 2015, Clark has been working as an RN in the neonatal intensive care unit at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, Ga .
While being in nursing school is hard, and being a nurse is hard, Clark said, the rewards of knowing you are making a difference in someone’s life is worth it . “You will have some of your best and worst days as a nurse, but every bit of it is worth it . From seeing a one-pound preemie go home after months in the NICU, to holding a mother’s hand and crying with her as she holds her baby for the first and last time. It is truly an honor to be there for people during the best and worst times of their life,” she said .
“The stress of the pandemic has seemed to ease some across the board, and it has been nice to get back to a sense of normalcy in my work and personal life,” Clark said . “I am thankful to be a Wiregrass ASN graduate and to be taking care of the tiniest patients during this time .”
Georgia’s Automotive Industry is Getting Set For The Future with a Skilled Pipeline of Employees REVVING By Christy SimoUP
KIA Georgia President & CEO Stuart Countess
When Kia announced 16 years ago it was bringing auto manufacturing back to Georgia, it jumpstarted growth in the industry that continues today . But back then, the idea of electric vehicles and autonomous cars whizzing down the road sounded like visions from the future .
Fast forward to 2022, and that’s now becoming our reality . Georgia is quickly transforming into a hub of electric car manufacturing and autonomous vehicle innovation, and Porsche, Groupe USA, and Mercedes Benz have all chosen Atlanta as the prime place to locate their North American headquarters .
In addition, more than 100 automotive suppliers have chosen to locate in Georgia, and that’s thanks in part to the Technical College System and its ability to train employees on the skills they need to make a career .
“That’s really the only two things that we try to do in our system,” said Dr . Glen Cannon, president of Gwinnett Tech, “work with the students to get great careers, and work with our business and industry partners to ensure that they have that sustainable, qualified workforce.”
As the automotive industry continues to grow and advance in Georgia, there’s a great need for employees in all aspects of the trade, and TCSG is here to help .
Across Georgia, TCSG’s 22 technical colleges are partnering with companies and auto dealerships to create a pipeline of workers, not just for today, but for tomorrow too .
“When businesses and industries relocate to Georgia, we provide them a sustainable workforce, and we can keep that workforce going for them as they grow,” said Cannon .
In fact, automotive technology is one of 17 programs of study for careers that are in demand because of the state’s growing industries . Thanks to the HOPE Career Grant, students enrolled at Georgia’s technical colleges can obtain a degree in any of those 17 fields with tuition 100% covered. “Nobody can beat what the technical college system does from my viewpoint,” said Stuart Countess, president and CEO of Kia Georgia . “What a great way to get a free education . You can walk out, have a two-year degree, go get a great job, and you basically have zero debt . ”
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Gwinnett Tech student Calvin Reese
When Kia Georgia announced it was coming to West Point in 2006, it launched a new generation of the auto industry in the state . For the region of middle Georgia along the Alabama state line, which had once been a textile manufacturing hub, the promise of thousands of new jobs was big news indeed .
Along with Kia’s massive manufacturing plant, which is located on 2,200 acres, more than a dozen suppliers are now located in the region to provide the parts Kia needs for the Telluride CUV, Sorento CUV, K5 sedans, and the Sportage compact SUV produced at its West Point facility . These vehicles, sold at dealerships around the country, represent nearly 40% of all Kia sales in the U .S .
“You’ve seen a lot of growth in the local area, in Troup County, Meriwether County, Heard County . Most of that growth has come not only from ourselves being here, but our supply base locating here to support us,” Countess said . “In total, that’s represented about 13,000 jobs . So it’s given a lot of opportunity to the residents to have a very good, stable environment, making a highly technical product .”
That’s not the only region of the state attractive to auto suppliers . The South is being called the new automotive corridor, and companies have found Georgia to be a central state to locate in and service nearby manufacturing facilities . Automotive suppliers that have set up shop around Georgia include Honda Precision Parts, Kumho Tire Georgia, Hitachi Automotive Systems America, Toyo Tire North America, Sewon America, Voelstalpine Automotive, and Panasonic Automotive .
Each time a new company comes to Georgia, Quick Start, a division of TCSG, ramps up to help hire employees and provide customized, job-specific training . For Kia, that meant thousands of employees – today the facility employs more than 3,000 people to produce more than 340,000 vehicles a year . But TCSG’s involvement with Kia didn’t end there . It has created a long-lasting partnership with the car manufacturer that continues today . That’s the benefit of having TCSG in the state .
“We can formulate a program for a company or a specific industry very quickly that can satisfy what their needs are and then grow with them as they move forward,” Cannon said . “We’re not just like a one-time quick fix. We’re there for the long run . ”
The companies TCSG partners with support the college system in various ways as well, from giving to the TCSG Foundation and its Last Mile Fund, which provides financial assistance to students, to donating equipment .
In 2020, Kia provided 26 vehicles to TCSG’s automotive programs, and in all, the company has donated 218 vehicles for educational or training purposes – and sometimes to help celebrate students, too . Each year, TCSG’s student of the year receives a brand new Kia in recognition of their accomplishments .
Addressing a Shortage
In addition to the headquarters, manufacturing facilities, and numerous auto suppliers, there are hundreds of auto dealerships across the state, and those dealerships need auto technicians to maintain and repair the cars they sell .
“As has been the case for a number of years, there’s a shortage of qualified, trained automotive technicians,” said Lea Kirschner, president and CEO of the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association (GADA), which represents roughly 500 auto dealerships around the state . “Back in 2019, our national association estimated that by 2025 or ’26, there would be a need for over 70,000 service technicians .”
Kirschner guesses that during the COVID pandemic, that number may be even higher with people dropping out of the workforce or making career changes . “So there is a tremendous shortage of qualified technicians out there,” she said .
To ensure more students get the skills needed to build a career in the automotive industry, GADA announced in February it was donating $100,000 to the TCSG Foun-
Mark Whittaker (l), Gwinnett Technical College program director of the Mercedes-Benz Automotive Program with students Gwinnett Technical College President Dr. D. Glen Cannon
dation . The gift will establish a scholarship program specifically for students enrolled in automotive-related programs, which are offered at all TCSG colleges across the state .
“We want to encourage students to consider automotive technician careers,” Kirschner said . “There’s a misconception out there about what an automotive technician really is . Now, there’s so much technology involved in vehicles . It’s an exciting career . It’s also a career where someone can make a nice amount of money . The average salary is $60,000 or more .”
TCSG is also working to address that shortage in several ways, including a recent partnership with Mercedes–Benz and Gwinnett Technical College .
The college, located in Lawrenceville with a campus in Alpharetta, offers a credited associates program specifically geared toward training technicians who specialize in Mercedes-Benz . The company even donated cars connected directly to the Mercedes-Benz technician software system for students to train on .
“Our instructors and students pull up the same information that technicians working on Mercedes in the shop see in real time,” Cannon said . “It’s not a training simulator, it’s the actual Mercedes-Benz system . ”
“From what they tell us, it has worked perfectly . Every student has been hired,” Cannon said .
Students spend their second year of the program in a paid internship at a Mercedes-Benz dealership . “Most of them are hired by that dealership they have an internship with,” Cannon said .
Now in its fourth year, the Mercedes-Benz program has been a huge success .
The college already had an established training program partnership with Mopar, the former Chrysler Corp . parts service and customer care division now owned by Netherlands-based auto maker Stellantis . So when Mercedes-Benz announced in 2015 it would be locating its headquarters in the Atlanta suburb of Sandy Springs, Gwinnett Tech assisted with onboarding for the initial hiring and transferring of employees from their New Jersey headquarters .
“We got to talking to them about training and how they did training” Cannon said . “We have the facility right there where we do automotive training, and they decided to give it a try as a pilot program . … We had a dedicated lab that was available, and they bought in and fully supported it and outfitted that lab . ”
It’s those kinds of conversations that lead to long-standing partnerships and initiatives like the Mercedes-Benz Program .
Kia’s Countess agreed . “It’s a collaborative effort,” he said . “In the 13 years that I’ve been here now, I’ve never experienced anybody saying no . It’s always a very cooperative environment of ‘what can we do together to make the state of Georgia’s work environment the number one place to do business?’”
Building on the momentum created by the Mercedes-Benz program, Gwinnett Tech announced in February that it is partnering with Ford Motor Co . to be the only Ford ASSET training program in the state . The program will create auto technicians for 15 Ford dealerships in metro Atlanta and beyond .
“That’s going to be another very instrumental program in ensuring our students have access to those careers,” Cannon said, “but also the Ford dealerships can have a sustainable and qualified technician workforce.”
Global automotive companies are seeing such successes and realize Georgia’s automotive industry is strong and getting stronger .
“When they see a Mercedes being a successful partnership with us, companies see Ford having a successful partnership with us, other companies will follow, and they’ll also be confident and comfortable that we know what we’re doing,” Cannon said . “They’re not putting a lot of risk out there . We’re a proven entity . We’ve done it before .”
Going Electric
While there’s an immediate need for auto technicians and people to work in the auto manufacturing facilities located in Georgia, those in the auto industry are also looking ahead .
“When we talk about electrification of vehicles and autonomous vehicles, I think the next five to 10 years is going to be another evolution that will not only impact the state, but certainly will impact the community,” Countess said .
That’s already starting to happen . This summer, electric car manufacturer Rivian is scheduled to begin construction on a $5 billion facility east of Atlanta that will bring 7,500 jobs to the state and eventually manufacture 400,000 electric vehicles (EVs) a year when it opens in 2024 .
And in May, Gov . Brian Kemp announced that Hyundai Motor Group would invest $5 .54 billion in an EV and battery manufacturing facility in Bryan County .
“Whether it’s an automotive [company] like Rivian or it’s a company supporting one of those plants or a company that maybe is supporting future infrastructure for electrification vehicles, what they see is an innovative environment through the technical college system that said, ‘this is where I want to locate . They’re going to work with me in order to achieve success,’” Countess said . “The willingness to make changes very quickly is really crucial at this point, as the automotive industry continues to develop in the state . And I don’t see that slowing down from my experiences .”
As more manufacturers come out with EV models – nearly two dozen were on the market in 2021, and 2022 promises to be a record year for EV launches – the need for auto technicians with the skills to work on these types of vehicles is increasing .
“EVs are definitely the future of the industry . No question about it . And our dealers are very excited for this new era,” Kirschner said . “They’re ready, willing and able to sell EVs, and they are gearing up to do so . They’re making capital investments, they’re training technicians, they’re installing chargers . There’s a lot going on at dealerships right now related to EVs . ”
To prepare for what’s ahead, Gwinnett Tech launched a new certificate in driverless and driver assist systems this past fall. It’s the first training program of its kind in the state that focuses on emerging technologies and environmentally friendly vehicles .
“There is a lot of that technology centered in Gwinnett and the North Fulton area, a lot of research going on in that connected car space that is rapidly coming,” Cannon said .
The certificate program, a combination of traditional curriculum and hands-on training, is an option students can take in addition to the college’s other auto programs .
Dealerships, especially, will benefit from students trained to repair and maintain electric vehicles, and, eventually, autonomous cars .
“It is definitely a different type of skillset,” Kirschner said . “There is a misconception out there that EVs won’t require repairs, maintenance, or service . … But these vehicles still have moving parts . They still have things that need to be maintained and repaired when they break . ”
Kia’s Countess believes that TCSG is key to keeping Georgia ahead of the curve when it comes to new technologies .
“They’re looking at other technologies and innovations that maybe don’t exist today, but they’re also looking at how to take a company that already exists and help them change their technologies to be ready for that future expansion,” he said . “A company certainly can do it on its own, but it’s better if you have a partner within the state that can help you to get to that point . And I see that as continuing at an accelerated pace over the next five years.”
“That’s our mission . That’s what Georgia has tasked us with,” Gwinnett Tech’s Cannon said . “We don’t try to do a lot of different things . We try to do one thing, be better than anyone else, and that’s work with our business partners . That’s our job .
