CCTC Student Accepts Summer Internship at Georgia-Pacific
Adam Howard, a recent graduate from Sumter High School and first-year student in Central Carolina Technical College’s mechatronics program has accepted a summer internship at Georgia-Pacific in Clarendon.
“The partnership with CCTC was established as students in the mechatronics program are working with so many power systems in the classroom and are gathering the necessary skills to work on the machines in use at Georgia-Pacific,” says Jamey Gowdy, human resources business partner. “Adam Howard accepted a summer internship in our Maintenance department where he will be using his skills in hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical systems to work on the equipment in use at our site. The tasks Adam will encounter will provide a solid foundation for his continued learning in the mechatronics program at Central Carolina Technical College.”
Mechatronics is a synergy of several disciplines It relates to the design, manufacture and maintenance of intelligent electromechanical products and devices. Products that are produced using mechatronics principles have become an intimate part of human lives in modern industry as well as a key contributor to the United States’ competitiveness in the global marketplace. Demand for technicians with superior knowledge and experience in mechatronics has drastically increased in the last decade and has become a requirement for the future.
“Georgia-Pacific partnered with CCTC to create real-world learning experiences for some students through a paid internship program. This will prove to be an opportunity for students to earn extra money while they gain an invaluable skill set through on-the-job training that they wouldn’t otherwise get,” says Randal Watson, academic program manager for mechatronics. “This skillset and work experience will sculpt the future employment opportunities for students who participate in the internship program. Our program has also partnered with other major manufacturing companies that offer paid intern and apprenticeship opportunities to our students. We believe it is our job to help set our students up for success and these are a couple of different ways that we can do that. Many times, these students are offered full-time employment after the internship is complete.”
CCTC offers a Mechatronics Fundamentals Certificate, Basic Mechatronics Technology Certificate and an Advanced Mechatronics Technology Certificate. As the premier training resource for workforce in Clarendon, Kershaw, Lee and Sumter counties, CCTC is addressing the labor shortage through access, training and pathways. The college is proud to have partnerships with local businesses and industries that help students gain on-the-job experience even while attending CCTC.
For more information on the mechatronics program, visit cctech.staging.wp.collegeinbound.com/academics or call (803) 778-1961.
