Atlanta Gas Light, technical colleges launch workforce partnership

The nonprofit Atlanta Gas Light Foundation announced a new partnership Monday with Gwinnett Technical College and Atlanta Technical College to train natural gas technicians.

The company and the two schools are launching a one-semester certification program for natural gas technicians, with classes set to begin May 22.

“This program will help build the workforce of tomorrow for students interested in this vital industry,” AGL President and CEO Pedro Cherry said during a news conference at the company’s Atlanta service center.

The natural gas industry, like others in Georgia, is being hit with a large number of retirements, creating a need for a fresh crop of technicians to install, maintain, and repair gas pipelines; repair and test natural gas meters; perform carpentry, construction and landscape maintenance; and operate trucks and tractors.

“This program is a good example of what our technical colleges do across Georgia,” said Glen Cannon, president of Gwinnett Technical College. “We can meet Georgia’s needs, where they are, quickly.”

The Technical College System of Georgia has used a $400,000 grant from the AGL Foundation during the last couple of years to upgrade its facilities and equipment to prepare for the new program. Grant funds also are going toward helping students at risk of dropping out of school due to financial struggles.

The new curriculum will consist of 14 credit hours over one semester broken into four courses: construction trades core, gas heat, interpersonal relationships and professional development, and special piping. The program also will include ride-alongs with AGL crews to give students a firsthand view of what it’s like to be a natural gas technician.

Registration information can be found on the two colleges’ websites.