Technical College Board meets at Kia Georgia Training Center
Posted on June 5th, 2008 by Patrick Sands
WEST POINT, Ga. June 5, 2008 — The Kia Georgia Training Center in West Point was the site for the state board of the Technical College System of Georgia’s June meeting with Randy Jackson, director of human resources and administration for Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG), addressing board members about the KMMG project and the wonderful partnership Kia has enjoyed with the State of Georgia.
“Everything that we have received from the state, from the top to the bottom, has been fantastic,” said Jackson, noting that because of the partnership between KMMG and the state, a new standard had been set for the application process across the entire automotive industry.
“In 30 days, we broke an automotive record, receiving more than 43,000 applications,” he said. Jackie Rohosky, assistant commissioner of economic development programs for the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), who oversees Georgia Quick Start, KMMG’s partner at the training center, said that the Kia project was one that would be important to the entire state.
“All state colleges, in the end, will be impacted by this project,” she told the board. The Kia Georgia Training Center is the first completed building associated with KMMG. The automobile manufacturing plant is scheduled to open in November 2009. Interviews and pre-employment training and assessments for potential Kia production and maintenance team members are currently taking place at the training center, which was designed through a collaborative effort between Kia and Quick Start.
Following Jackson’s presentation, board members were able to take a tour of the facility and receive a firsthand look at the training center’s custom-designed selection and assessment process.
TCSG Board members are responsible for establishing standards, regulations and policies for the operation of TCSG, the state’s technical colleges, economic development programs and adult education programs. The board strives to promote the economic well-being of Georgia citizens by ensuring high quality and upgrade training and services as a full partner in the expansion of Georgia’s economic base.
Last year, more than 27,000 students graduated from the colleges of TCSG. Today, 98 percent of those graduates are presently either employed or continuing their education.
Jackson said that maintaining the partnership with TCSG was important to the Kia project now and in the future.
“View us as a long term partner and we will succeed together,” Jackson told the board.
Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, Inc. (KMMG) is the first manufacturing site in North America for Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, Korea. KMMG is located on 2,200 acres in West Point, Georgia, and is scheduled to begin production in the last quarter of 2009. At full capacity, the plant will have the ability to produce 300,000 vehicles annually and employ approximately 2,500 team members.
