Officials from Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) visited Savannah Technical College, the second of four technical colleges in southeast Georgia set to receive tools from the plant in order to help educate future electric vehicle professionals.
The tool kits are valued at an estimated $9,500 each, and include automotive millimeters, multimeters, and other related equipment. Other colleges benefitting from this tool kit donation include Coastal Pines Technical College, Ogeechee Technical College, and Southeastern Technical College–all part of the Technical College System of Georgia.
“This is a small way for us to give back to the colleges and fill a need for valuable equipment for their automotive labs. We recognized similar needs at all four colleges, and we are excited to invest in them as they help us develop a pipeline of future talent,” said Brent Stubbs, the senior manager of Learning and Development at HMGMA.
Hyundai’s efforts to aid local technical colleges like Savannah Tech stems from the company signing a Memorandum of Understanding back in 2023, creating an Electric Vehicle Professional (EVP) certificate with partnered schools where students can prepare for entry-level employment in the electric vehicle industry.
“It shows the partnership between HMGMA and Savannah Tech. It’s all part of that MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) that we signed a little over a year ago,” said Tal Loos, the Vice President of Economic Development at Savannah Tech, on Hyundai’s equipment donation to area colleges.
“Instead of having to share tools [in class], students can each have their own tools to work with,” Loos explained. “They can get a lot more one-on-one time with that tooling, so they become better mechanics, better individuals to go work in the field.”
Anthony Hobbs, Savannah Tech’s Department Head of Automotive Technology, agreed with Loos, adding that the course is growing in popularity–a big factor being that those who complete the program are ‘guaranteed a [job] interview’ with HMGMA after graduation.
“We are currently teaching 4 different cohorts of this class now, so having enough tools for everyone to be able to get their hands on at the same time really helps a lot,” Hobbs said.
The Electric Vehicle Professional (EVP) Technical Certificate is an eight-credit hour certificate that includes three courses: Automotive Technology Introduction, Automotive Electric Principles, and Introduction to EV/Hybrid Vehicles and Safety Protocols.
The Electric Vehicle Professional (EVP) Technical Certificate is available at both Savannah Tech’s main campus in Savannah and its Liberty County campus in Hinesville, Hobbs said.
