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HANK:
 Still Hammerin'

Hank Aaron has stepped up to bat for the home team, launching a program that leads outstanding Atlanta Technical College students to lucrative careers with BMW after graduation.

An Atlanta Tech board member and a BMW dealer, Aaron sought to address the severe shortage of skilled auto mechanics trained in the BMW system. He is responsible for brokering a partnership between Atlanta Tech and BMW of North America.

After a rigorous screening and selection process, five students were chosen to participate in the pilot program, called MetroSTEP. The students were immersed in the BMW culture through a comprehensive, 11-week training program to become BMW-certified technicians, attending classes at night and working at one of four Atlanta BMW dealerships during the day.

After graduating in September, all five students were hired by the dealerships. BMW-certified technicians earn an average salary of $55,000 — up to $75,000 in some parts of the country.

BMW plans to implement the MetroSTEP program nationwide.

Henry Aaron with graduates BMW certification

At the graduation ceremony are, from left, Philip Capossela, BMW of North America VP of Southern Region; Dr. Brenda Watts Jones, Atlanta Tech president; MetroSTEP students Asante Johnson, Derek Carter, Jason Terrell, Jonathan King and Brandon Brown; and Hank Aaron, Atlanta Tech board member and BMW dealer.
Photo of a canon that fires pumpkins.

The Great Pumpkin

This 3,000-pound cannon won the annual pumpkin-roll competition at North Georgia Technical College in October. Using parts donated by local businesses, the Industrial Systems Technology Department designed and built the cannon, and the Welding Department fabricated a catapult. A 500-gallon tank of compressed air propelled the 10-pound pumpkin a distance of 1,722 feet. The Math Department estimated the muzzle velocity to be at least 200 mph.
 

THOUSANDS SERVED
Numbers Keep Rising
Graduates from Georgia’s technical colleges:
1992.....................................8,404 2002...................23,624
High School students involved in technical college programs: 2000.....................................3,783 2002.....................7,361
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Graduates from Adult Basic Edu-
cation, GED and English Literacy Program:
1992...................................40,069
2002...................70,918
Technical Certificates of Credit issued:
1996.......................................429
2002...................2,767
Quick Start trainees:
1992...................................10,264
2002...................41,801
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