Georgia Tech, in partnership with the Georgia Space Grant Consortium, Technical College System of Georgia, Georgia Southern University, Georgia College and Career Academies, and leading aerospace employers, is launching the Southeast Space Technology & Aerospace Readiness Skills (SE-STARS) Hub to expand Georgia’s skilled technical workforce supporting NASA missions.
SE-STARS operates as a coordinated statewide system, scaling Georgia Tech’s Starfleet Academy space-relevant technical courses and aligning them with diploma and certificate pathways across technical colleges and career academies. The program delivers more than three dozen hands-on courses in avionics, propulsion, advanced manufacturing, systems testing, machining, and assembly, ensuring students gain employer-validated skills for the aerospace industry. Instructor capacity is strengthened through annual “Teach the Teacher” institutes, preparing educators to deliver space-focused modules with ongoing mentorship and support.
Technical College System of Georgia’s 22 colleges and 88 campuses serve as regional instructional hubs, providing equitable access to training and connecting students to industry internships and apprenticeships. Georgia Southern University engages thousands of K–12 and technical college-bound learners through experiential STEM programming, hands-on labs, and paid apprenticeships targeting advanced manufacturing and robotics.
Industry partners, including the Georgia Aerospace & Defense Alliance, Space Force, GE Aerospace, and NASA centers, help shape curriculum and connect students to real-world opportunities. The program leverages Georgia Tech’s Advanced Manufacturing Pilot, which operates high school engineering labs as testbeds for space-focused, project-based learning.
Over three years, SE-STARS will prepare curriculum, onboard instructors, place students in internships, and scale up credentialing and dissemination. An independent evaluator will guide continuous improvement through regular reporting. By linking Georgia Tech expertise, statewide delivery capacity, NASA and industry engagement, and experiential learning, SE-STARS is establishing a scalable workforce model that strengthens NASA’s technical talent pipeline across Georgia and the Southeast.
