WIOA Program Provides Financial Assistance to Eligible SGTC Students

February 12, 2020
SGTC WIOA Coordinator Sandhya Muljibhai speaks to a class of Medical Assisting Students about the benefits of the WIOA program.
SGTC WIOA Coordinator Sandhya Muljibhai speaks to a class of Medical Assisting Students about the benefits of the WIOA program.

South Georgia Technical College (SGTC) students may be eligible to apply for additional financial aid through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), a federal program that assists students in select programs with school-related expenses. 

WIOA provides financial assistance for tuition, fees, books and direct training costs for eligible participants. Federal funds are made available to SGTC by The River Valley Regional Commission and the WIOA Board.

SGTC WIOA Coordinator Sandhya Muljibhai recently spoke to several classes on the Americus campus about the program. She encouraged students to explore their eligibility and apply for the assistance.

Aircraft Structural Technology instructor Jason Wisham told his class about how he benefitted from the WIOA program when he was a student at South Georgia Tech. “I was trying to pay for school while I also had a house payment and other bills,” Wisham said. “The WIOA program was a huge help for me. I worked hard and kept my grades up, so I was able to finish school and get started in my career.”

Medical Assisting instructor Jeana Yawn also benefitted from the WIOA program while she studied at SGTC. “It really made a difference for me,” she told her class. “It helped me cover the expenses of school.”

Sandhiya Muljibhai is pictured with SGTC instructors Jean Yawn and Jason Wisham. Yawn and Wisham both benefitted from the WIOA program when they were students at SGTC.
Sandhiya Muljibhai is pictured with SGTC instructors Jean Yawn and Jason Wisham. Yawn and Wisham both benefitted from the WIOA program when they were students at SGTC.

Over 20 programs at South Georgia Tech are eligible for the WIOA program (*limited enrollment allowed).  Those programs include: Accounting, Air Conditioning Technology, Aircraft Structural Technology, Auto Collision Repair Technology, Automotive Technology, Aviation Maintenance Technology, Avionics Technology, Commercial Truck Driving,  Criminal Justice Technology, Diesel Equipment Technology, Early Childhood Care and Education, Electrical Lineworker, Electrical Systems Technology, Electronics Technology, Emergency Medical Technician, Industrial Mechanical Systems, Industrial Systems Technology, Law Enforcement Academy, Machine Tool Technology, Medical Assisting, Practical Nursing and Welding and Joining Technology.

To qualify for WIOA assistance, students must be currently enrolled at South Georgia Technical College or have been accepted by SGTC; be enrolled in a program that WIOA accepts; have applied for financial aid (you do not have to receive financial aid, but you must have attempted to receive financial aid.); meet income eligibility; meet sustainability standards (this includes passing an assessment phase and interview phase) and live in the Middle Flint Area 16 region of: Crisp, Dooly, Macon, Marion, Schley, Sumter, Taylor, or Webster County.

To learn more about the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and to find out if you qualify, call the Sandhya Muljibhai or Minnie Williamson in the SGTC WIOA office at 229.931.2172.