Training Thousands of Georgians for the Hyundai Metaplant

How does a state help prepare the workforce needed to support the largest economic development project in state history?  

Collaboration, coordination, and the No. 1 workforce training program in the nation: Georgia Quick Start, which has helped prepare more than 1.8 million Georgians for new jobs since its creation in 1967.  

Quick Start’s free-of-charge job training for qualified companies has been utilized by a diverse group of manufacturers, including Kia Georgia in West Point. Kia Georgia’s training facility opened in 2008 and continues to work with Quick Start on updated training curricula with each expansion, including the addition of the EV9 line. The success of the Kia Georgia training facility became a critical advantage for Georgia in the competition to land Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA), and strategizing on how to train thousands of Georgians for Hyundai Motor Group’s first fully-dedicated electric vehicle (EV) facility in the U.S. began soon after HMGMA was announced in May 2022. 

The plan for an over 8,500-employee manufacturing project requires a multipronged approach to ensuring future HMGMA and suppliers’ team members will be prepared for success.  

The Hyundai Mobility Training Center of Georgia, the first training center in Georgia dedicated exclusively to the EV market, will be located on state property adjacent to HMGMA. The Technical College System of Georgia, Quick Start, and HMGMA broke ground on the center in February 2024, and the facility is slated to open in late 2025.  

While the main facility is under construction, Quick Start is providing training through its existing Quick Start Advanced Manufacturing Training Center in Pooler and has established temporary training sites at three locations to further support HMGMA and its affiliates. 

Learn more about how the State of Georgia is meeting the workforce demands of the clean energy boom. 

For more information on Georgia Quick Start, visit www.georgiaquickstart.org.  

-Posted February 9, 2024