THOMASVILLE, Ga. — Small manufacturers are the backbones of towns across Georgia. Yet despite the support they bring to communities, they face a workforce shortage.

A new program supported by Georgia Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing (Georgia AIM) is working to change that. With the Technical College System of Georgia as a catalyst, the program helps local manufacturers hire rising high school seniors as interns. It’s a win for everyone involved — students receive training and exposure to new career paths, and companies tap into a talent pool primed to connect new technology with manufacturing spaces.

After graduation, the students’ experience can lead to a full-time job, a degree program or both. The program launched in summer 2024 in Thomasville with four students working at local metal fabricator Check-Mate Industries.

“The program has given Check-Mate more exposure in the community, but more specifically in our educational system,” said Willie Allen, director of innovation at Southern Regional Technical College in Thomasville. “Because that exposure is going to hopefully spark answers for students who say, ‘I love robotics, but I feel I have to go to Atlanta or Tallahassee to fully engage in the concept of robotics.’ Check-Mate has four robotic arms there, and they need operators for those. This program is showing students that we have that ecosystem right here in Thomasville.”

Students learned about the internships through classroom discussions focused on work-based learning and visits from professionals, including representatives from Check-Mate. The goal was to introduce manufacturing concepts such as welding and assembly through flexible schedules and hands-on training.

This type of training is essential for the future of manufacturing. Previous generations grew up with family members working in local manufacturing facilities, but that wasn’t the case for the parents of current students, who saw many of those facilities close or move overseas. Today, though, the tide is turning. As manufacturers reshore, scale up and adopt AI and smart technologies, there’s a growing need for a tech-focused workforce to pick up where previous generations left off.

The internship program, hosted by Southern Regional Technical College with assistance from Georgia Tech’s Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC), is one way to help fill that gap. It ran alongside a teacher internship program coordinated by CEISMC. Both programs will continue this summer and expand to other industries, including health care.

Learn more about the program, Georgia Intern-Fellowships for Teachers.

“We hope they learn more about what we do and see if there are elements of it they really enjoy,” said Jacquelyn Santoro, vice president and director of legal affairs for Check-Mate. “Because this could be a steppingstone. If you want to join the mechanical engineering program at SRTC when you graduate, we do tuition reimbursement for coursework related to what we do here.”

The new SRTC program teaches CNC technology, wire EDM processes, welding, electronics and other essential skills needed in modern manufacturing facilities. The updated labs were made possible through Georgia AIM funding and reflect the needs of local manufacturers. By getting high school students in the door, Santoro said, students begin to see career pathways before they graduate.

“We envision, especially at a younger age, it’s easier for them to say, ‘I want to pursue this a bit longer,’ or, ‘No, I’m done, I want to be a doctor,’” she said. “But hopefully, we can give them a broad spectrum of all the different pathways we have here. We want to have a pipeline for kids who want to end up here after high school, but also help individuals figure out if manufacturing is for them.”

For the four students who interned at Check-Mate last summer, the experience was overwhelmingly positive.

“When I first came here, I didn’t know what to expect,” said Curtis Donaldson, 17, a senior at Thomas County Central High School. “But everybody is helpful; they make it real easy. If you follow the process, it will do itself. It’s straight and easy.

“I love this job. It’s so chill.”

In their first few months, the students learned to assemble detailed metal parts — the final step of the production line before items are sent to retail stores and end users. From there, they rotated through different production areas and methods, all with safety in mind.

Check-Mate Industries produces a variety of metal parts used in everyday applications, including gun magazines, metal clips on ballpoint pens and the plates used to open handicapped entrances. The company expanded to Thomasville in 2019 from its original facility in New York. Its rapid growth in South Georgia has prompted its leadership to focus on developing a strong workplace culture.

“I want it to be somewhere where people want their families to work,” Santoro said.

The students recognized that. In interviews at the Check-Mate facility, each said they felt valued and that other employees genuinely cared about their experience.

Tim Watson, 17, also a senior at Thomas County Central High School, said he would recommend the internship to his friends. Watson has worked at a credit union and in food service; his friends have similar experience.

“I’d tell them it’s a good high school job, especially with the hours they let you work,” Watson said.

He was drawn to the internship because he wanted to learn welding. While that’s not part of the current internship, it’s a skill he could pursue at SRTC and apply at Check-Mate in the future.

Knowing that they help make parts used in military and law enforcement applications adds another level of responsibility, the students said. It also highlights the importance of small manufacturers across Georgia and the country.

“It makes you think a little more when you buy something,” Watson said. “It’s not just a job where you’re putting together a hunk of metal. If you make it wrong, you could risk someone’s life, so you have to make sure you’re paying attention.”

Georgia AIM is a federally funded program managed by Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute.