According to industry officials throughout the region, there is not an adequate number of qualified engineering candidates for some of the area’s engineering jobs. Georgia Southern University in Statesboro is aggressively seeking to address this issue through its Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Information Technology, according to the engineering college’s founding dean, Dr. Mohammad. S. Davoud. Dr. Davoud holds a Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina and his Bachelor and Master degrees were earned at Oklahoma State University. All of his academic credentials are in Mechanical Engineering. Davoud came to Georgia Southern in 1988 after serving two years as a lecturer at Northeastern University in Boston.

The Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Information Technology at Georgia Southern opened in July 2012. However, Georgia Southern has a 40-year history of teaching Engineering Technology through its longstanding School of Technology, of which Davoud was director for many years.

“The landscape of engineering education in Georgia has changed over the last couple of years,” said Sam McCachern, P.E., president & CEO of Thomas & Hutton Engineering in Savannah and one of Downtown Rotary’s past presidents, during his introduction of Dr. Davoud as the meeting’s feature speaker. “The number [of engineering graduates] is not meeting the demand. Locally, needs are increasing . . . Trip Tollison and those involved in economic development can tell you how often engineering and the number of graduates in engineering, comes up during prospect visits.” McCachern went on to say the bulk of the growth of local mega-companies such as Gulfstream and Thomas & Hutton depends on the education of engineering students.

According to Davoud, the college yielded the first round of graduates in 2013. “These graduates are fantastic. They have good common sense,” said Davoud. “They are able to hit the ground running on the first day.” The Engineering programs have earned the accreditation of the Accrediting Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

Davoud said the college enjoys many partnerships with businesses for internships and co-op programs. “We have 90 different companies just on our departmental and college advisory committees,” said Davoud. “We know that a few hundred companies [throughout the state] are onboard who want to hire our graduates.”

Because of Georgia’s ample infrastructure, huge incentives, and a very business friendly tax structure, it was recently named by Site Selection Magazine and CNBC as America’s top state for doing business. However, the recurring missing link surfacing in conversations with economic development officials as well as business prospects is the lack of a properly trained workforce. Nowhere is that more evident than in the various fields of engineering. Davoud explained the college’s role in trying to close that gap. “There are several levels of skills,” he began. “When you’re talking about engineering, you’re talking about high levels of design and engineering analysis, implementation, setting up the manufacturing plant, how to produce a product; that is something that we obviously teach,” said Davoud. “What will be lacking are the skilled workers – the skilled technicians,” he said. “The technician of today is more than just a machinist craftsman,” said Davoud, citing the fact that today’s parts-makers have to be well-versed in complex, proprietary design and production software. “It is our objective to start working with our regional Technical Colleges and Institutes and have a program to teach and develop the technical skills needed in today’s manufacturing environment. “Engineers can design a product, but without properly trained technicians with capabilities to operate complex computer controlled machinery, a company cannot produce a product,” he said. “They are equally as important as the engineers.” Davoud went on to say that some of the technicians who have the aptitude and the ability, may want to have the extra qualifications needed to be competitive in today’s job market and may want to continue their education toward a degree in engineering. “Some of those credits from technical colleges can transfer.” said Davoud. “They take more courses and we can help them become an engineer.”

The Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Information Technology at Georgia Southern University offers Bachelor of Science degree programs in Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Construction Management, Computer Science and Information Technology. There are also two Master of Science programs offered, one in Applied Engineering and an online Computer Science program. The college is also very focused on Undergraduate Research where undergrads are given abundant opportunities to engage in applied research under faculty supervision.

For more information on the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Information Technology at Georgia Southern University, you may visit them online at ceit.georgiasouthern.edu, or call them at 912-478-7412.