Mando Corporation presented a $100,000 investment to THINC College and Career Academy last week. According to a press release from the academy, the car manufacturing company is giving the investment in five $20,000 increments in five years.

“The main reason (for doing this) is that we believe that THINC Academy has worked diligently to create courses and course study that will enhance our economic development in this region, specifically for manufacturing,” said Mando Human Resources Manager Gerald Wyatt. “THINC has worked with all of our manufacturers to identify the kinds of skills required to grow their businesses and the kind of skills that we’re looking for when we’re hiring new people into our organization.”

Six Troup County School students are participating in apprenticeships with Mando. In August, students signed apprenticeship papers at THINC, which allows them to work at local industries while also getting school credit and a paycheck.

Wyatt said because of THINC’s commitment to teaching students, Mando wanted to have a financial relationship to help the academy’s programs grow. Wyatt said the money is not going toward a specific program.

“Our goal is to prepare students who are work ready,” said THINC CEO Kathy Carlisle in a press release.

“We hope Mando is seeing the fruits of our good work. This contribution will have a very profound impact on the learning opportunities provided for 100 students.”

Wyatt said the apprentices have been amazing and are learning the job quickly.

“They are certainly prepared from a soft skills perspective that is reporting to work on time, attendance, courtesy, team work, working well with others,” Wyatt said. “They’ve done an amazing (job) in that regard and, a matter of fact a few of them have become sort of standards for our normal employees… And we’re able to expose them to various things and they grasp them, and we’re able to move them around in different locations and have had no issues at all.”

Wyatt said the apprentices are learning various stations on the manufacturing and assembling side of Mando.

“They’ll just continue to grow, and for the ones who are sophomores or juniors, they have the opportunity to come back next year when the school year begins and do their next level of internships,” Wyatt said.

“Hopefully those who are not planning to go off to college or military or some other kind of vocational school will join us as an organization, and it will put them in position to advance in our organization very quickly.”