SGTC Instructor Robert Sturgeon’s career took flight with help from WIOA

By Pat Peacock

An Alaskan cruise or help with paying for an education: this was the choice Robert Sturgeon’s father presented to him about 15 years ago and told him he had three days to think about it. For Robert, a young man in Eustis, Florida still searching for his path and struggling to make ends meet through a variety of part-time jobs, the choice was easy. “I don’t need to think about it,” he told his father. “I want to go to school.”

One of Robert’s employers at the time was Jason Sylvie of Triangle Aviation. Sylvie was a graduate from the aviation program at South Georgia Technical College (SGTC) in Americus, Georgia, and he had encouraged Robert for years to enroll in the program if he ever had the chance.

With his father’s offer, Robert’s chance finally arrived.

He enrolled in the program in 2010 with no job, no transportation, and very little money to live on. At first, he picked up odd jobs, caught rides to campus, and subsisted on a meager diet. It was a struggle for him, but through it all, he excelled in his studies. Robert was recognized as the SGTC Student of Excellence, he was a member of the National Technical Honor Society, and even won the gold medal at the state level in the SkillsUSA competition.

With his Georgia residency established after a year in the program, Robert was eligible for assistance through a program now known as the Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA). A federally-funded program, WIOA provides support with which qualified students can buy gas, food, pay bills or handle any other expense they may have. WIOA also helps pay for program-required tools, uniforms, supplies, and testing fees if necessary.  The students can keep the tools, uniforms and supplies if they graduate and are employed in their field of study.

According to SGTC WIOA Coordinator Sandhya Muljibhai, Robert Sturgeon represents the kind of student WIOA is designed for. “We would like to help students who help themselves,” Muljibhai said. “Robert is a perfect example of this. Even through his financial hardship, he was focused and determined on getting his AVMT degree and passing his FAA exams to have a career in the Aviation field.  WIOA was a part of his journey at SGTC that helped him to be successful.”

After graduating from South Georgia Technical College and attaining his Airframe & Powerplant license, Robert stayed in Americus and spent more than a decade working for Souther Field Aviation. Last fall, he returned to South Georgia Tech as an instructor in the Aviation Maintenance program. He was excited about the opportunity, saying “I feel honored and grateful to be able to help others elevate themselves and teach them skills that will help them achieve a successful career in aviation.”

As for the Alaska cruise, well, that’s on hold for now. “I will probably go to Alaska with my wife and two sons after I pay off my new house and property,” he said.

In the meantime, Robert Sturgeon will continue helping train the next generations of aviation students at South Georgia Tech to prepare them for their own rewarding careers.

For students who have already received their diploma from one of the aviation programs, SGTC now offers the opportunity to earn an Associate of Applied Science degree in Technical Studies. Students can attain this degree by taking 15 hours (5 three-hour classes) of core if they have already completed 45 hours in any of SGTC’s occupational program areas. The core classes can be completed in person or online.

Aviation Maintenance Technology, Avionics, and Aircraft Structural Technology are just a few of more than 200 programs available at SGTC. Programs lead to a diploma, associate degree, or technical certificate of credit, and some can be completed in just eight weeks.

Apply online now at www.southgatech.edu . Fall semester classes begin August 15.

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