South Georgia Technical College

South Georgia Technical College Aviation Maintenance student, Hunter Raybon of Taylor County, was recently hired by Pratt & Whitney Columbus Engine Center in Midland, Georgia (outside of Columbus, GA) as a full-time Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic. He is set to graduate from the SGTC Aviation Maintenance Technology program in May.
Raybon took advantage of many of the services provided by South Georgia Technical College while he was an Aviation Maintenance Technology student. He enrolled in the Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA) federal program that assists students with school-related expenses and tools for their career.
“We are so proud of Hunter,” said SGTC WIOA Coordinator Sandhya Mulijbhai. “He is a hard worker and he kept his eye on the prize and persevered. Now look at where he is. We were able to help him with some of his tuition and tool expenses, and we will also help with his exam fees for the A & P license.”
The WIOA program was established in 2014 to help serve laid-off individuals and income-eligible adults who need job skills training to enter or re-enter the workforce. The program provides funds to cover tuition, fees, books, and direct training costs to eligible students in select programs.

WIOA federal funds are made available through the WIOA Board and the River Valley Regional Commission. To qualify for the program, students must live in the Middle Flint Area 15 region of Crisp, Dooly, Macon, Marion, Schley, Sumter, Taylor, and Webster counties and meet other eligibility requirements.

Raybon also took advantage of the services provided by the SGTC Career Services office and Director Cynthia Carter. The Career Services Office aids current and former students with job placement opportunities. This office schedules job fairs, works with employers, provides access to resources, network opportunities and guidance for job placement.
“First and foremost, I’m always eager to showcase our students, their program of study and their workforce success stories,” explained Carter. “I consistently work to strengthen relationships with business & industry, and encourage our students to work towards career-readiness!”
Raybon is excited about the opportunity to work with Pratt & Whitney and believes that the SGTC Aviation Maintenance Technology program gave him the skills that he needed to find in-field employment.

In addition to taking advantage of the WIOA, Career Services, and SGTC Foundation opportunities while he was a full-time student, Raybon also managed to work part-time for Advanced Auto Parts and serve as a volunteer fire fighter for the City of Butler.

For more information about the SGTC Aviation Maintenance program contact SGTC lead instructor Victoria Herron at vherron@southgatech.edu. To learn more about WIOA and what areas of study qualify for the program, call the South Georgia Technical College WIOA office at (229) 931-2172 or reach out to WIOA Coordinator Sandhya Mulijbhai at smulijbhai@southgatech.edu. To learn more about the SGTC Career Services office, contact Cynthia Carter at 229-931-2057 or ccarter@southgatech.edu.