Georgia Tech will lead a NASA supported workforce initiative aimed at the shortage of skilled technical workers in aerospace, backed by a three year, $1.5 million Next Gen STEM award. The grant establishes the Southeast Space Technology and Aerospace Readiness Skills Hub, known as SE-STARS, beginning this fall.
The hub brings together the Georgia Space Grant Consortium, Georgia Tech's Space Research Institute, the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute, the Technical College System of Georgia, Georgia Southern University, Georgia College and Career Academies, the Georgia Aerospace and Defense Alliance, and selected state aerospace employers. Aerospace products rank as Georgia's largest export category, and the state hosts more than 800 companies working in aviation, manufacturing, research, maintenance, repair, and operations.
Many aerospace roles depend on workers whose training does not require a four year degree. Gaps run deepest in machinist, electronics technician, test operator, and systems integrator positions. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine projected in 2025 a national shortfall of at least one million skilled technical workers by 2030, driven by an aging workforce and by the pace at which existing skills go stale.
Stephen Ruffin, interim chair of the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, serves as principal investigator. Jud Ready of the Space Research Institute, Lori Skillings of the Georgia Space Grant Consortium, Hossein Taheri of Georgia Southern, and Steven Ferguson of the Manufacturing Institute serve as co-investigators. Training will run through the Technical College System's 22 colleges and 88 campuses, with online options and paid apprenticeships intended to reach students across the state.
Source: Georgia Institute of Technology - https://ae.gatech.edu/news/2026/08/georgia-tech-launches-statewide-hub-build-aerospace-technical-talent