Workforce development continues to be the mission of Coastal Pines Technical College (CPTC) and the Technical College System of Georgia. Because of this goal and mission, Coastal Pines has put an emphasis on apprenticeships and growing the offerings through the college.
Since 2009, Trident Refit Facility (TRF), Kings Bay Naval Base, has partnered with Coastal Pines Technical College to establish an apprenticeship program for Apprentices to be trained in Electrical or Maintenance. The program is specifically developed to train students for various submarine refit specialty areas within the refit facility. TRF Apprentices work at the TRF Shops, Kings Bay Naval Base, for half the day and attend classes for the other half.
The apprenticeship partnership with Coastal Pines Technical College began initially with Altamaha Technical College after being assigned the service delivery area. The first apprenticeship program began solely as the Naval Maintenance Apprentice Technical Certificate of Credit. In 2013, the Naval Electrical Apprentice Technical Certificate of Credit was developed to expand the opportunities for apprentices.
Under the guidance of the Dean for Academic Affairs, Technical and Industrial Programs, Mr. Thomas Wesley, the program has grown to the current enrollment of 185 current apprentices, with an additional 63 apprentices added during Spring 2023 and 33 graduates in Academic Year 2022.
Coastal Pines is committed to the continued growth of the apprenticeship program with Trident Refit Facility (TRF) with the focus on growing our workforce. The college is committed to workforce development and building strong pipelines of students for companies within their service area.
This commitment can be seen in the addition of full-time apprenticeship coordinator, Kimberly Burgess, who is dedicated to assisting businesses with the apprenticeship onboarding process. Through a comprehensive effort, Mrs. Burgess is working with employers of all sizes and disciplines from large companies to smaller family-run businesses. “There is a need in our local workforce to provide businesses with skilled trained employees and apprenticeships is a proven industry-driven training model which provides strong reliable pipelines to meet immediate and long-term needs.”
Coastal Pines continues working on innovative ways to assist the workforce of Southeast Georgia. Covering a thirteen-county area encompassing 7,433 square miles, there is endless opportunity for growth. To inquire about apprenticeship offerings at Coastal Pines, contact Kimberly Burgess, Apprenticeship Coordinator at kburgess@coastalpines.edu.