The relationship between Augusta Technical College and Aurubis has yielded recognition from the state for the German copper manufacturer.
Greg Dozier, commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), presented Aurubis Richmond the 2024 Business Partner of the Year Award, this week, on behalf of Gov. Brian Kemp.
The accolade is among seven awards presented in Atlanta during the Governor’s Workforce Summit in September. Inaugurated last year, the annual two-day conference assembles educators, business leaders and other dignitaries to discuss labor initiatives throughout the state.
The awards include categories such as College and Career Academy of the Year and Dual Enrollment Student of the Year, and celebrate significant accomplishments in workforce development, the partnerships that facilitate them and related student achievement.
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“Aurubis Richmond has set a benchmark for what it means to be an exceptional partner,” said Dozier. “Their investment in Augusta Technical College and our students not only strengthens the local workforce, but also creates a lasting impact on countless lives.”
Aurubis and ATC have long been in collaboration. In 2022, about four months after Aurubis broke ground on its Augusta copper smelting plant, Augusta Tech sent Rebecca Stout, at the time the school’s vice president of economic development, to the company’s headquarters in Hamburg, Germany. There she learned the company’s manufacturing procedures and training methods, in order to apply them to Augusta Tech’s own manufacturing curricula.
In September, Aurubis celebrated the opening of the first phase of its recycling plant at Augusta Corporate Park, part of an $800 million development project that is to entail the second phase of the facility slated for completion in 2026.
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Aurubis’ investment in the CSRA also includes its partnership with ATC, with more than $50,000 from the company going towards training programs, “including safety, leadership training, and youth manufacturing/STEM camps,” said Augusta Tech president Jermaine Whirl. “They also collaborating with the college on four registered apprenticeships in areas such as manufacturing, supply chain management, production operations/advanced manufacturing, and maintenance and engineering… They’ve held recruiting events on our campus, and their training team co-resides in our continuing education facility. They are a true corporate partner, and this recognition is well deserved.”
Skyler Andrews is a reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
