Two West Georgia Technical College (WGTC) Computer Information Systems (CIST) students recently took their education beyond the classroom through an internship with Carroll County Schools.
Networking Specialist majors Rayshaun McIntosh and Nitacha Smith worked alongside network and information technology professionals, gaining hands-on experience that reinforced the skills they have developed at WGTC.
“I just wanted to get our students involved with different companies because we do not have any internships imbedded within our program,” said Tara Shackleford, Program Director of CIST at WGTC. “Both students were able to get hands on experience, and they were able to sit in on meetings and talk about projects with the teams.”
Shackleford said the experience McIntosh and Smith got has helped them prepare for their next semester at WGTC.
“For them to go out into the field and see what’s going on, truly sheds some light on the programs they are participating in with us,” Shackleford said. “This has helped them figure out that they want to continue to participate in these kinds of opportunities. They were very thankful for the time they spent interning with Carroll County Schools.”
Both McIntosh and Smith said they enjoyed their experience because they felt like it helped improved their skills.
“What I heard from them is they enjoyed getting to see was what every day work looks like,” Shackleford said. “They have gone through so many lectures and simulation labs, so for them to connect those pieces of the classroom to something in the real world, helped them gain a better understanding.”
Carroll County Schools was the first of three internship programs WGTC’s CIST students have the chance to participate in this summer. FOGO Data Center and Southwire will both soon be accepting up to six more student interns.
“These opportunities our students are getting to experience are incredible,” Shackleford said. “They are getting to see things that have been replicated in the classroom. Just to know they got to learn so many different things that were beneficial to their education and their futures were wonderful. We as a staff are always looking for ways to prepare our students for the real world, and we want to find opportunities for them outside the classroom too because this will help them get a foot in the door.”
