COLUMBUS, Ga. - Columbus Technical College launched 15 approved SkillBridge job-training programs at its COL Ralph Puckett Workforce Development Center beginning Aug. 10, 2026, giving eligible service members in their final 180 days of active duty access to civilian career training while continuing to receive military pay and benefits. The programs range from Commercial Driver's License training and welding to cybersecurity, cloud computing and paralegal training, according to the college's official announcement. Veterans and military spouses can also access the same workforce training, the college said.

The programs began as the Puckett Center opened for the Fall 2026 semester. According to Columbus Technical College, participants can pursue industry-recognized credentials, receive hands-on instruction and build connections with employers across West Georgia and East Alabama. The following 10 questions cover the programs, eligibility, career fields and official contact information included in the college's announcements.

1. What is the SkillBridge program at Columbus Technical College?

SkillBridge provides eligible service members an opportunity to participate in civilian career training during their final 180 days of active duty, according to Columbus Technical College's August announcement. Participating service members continue receiving military pay and benefits during that training period. The college introduced 15 Department of War-approved SkillBridge programs beginning Aug. 10, 2026.

The programs launched at the college's COL Ralph Puckett Workforce Development Center, commonly called the Puckett Center. Columbus Technical College said the training provides industry-recognized credentials, practical instruction and connections to regional employers. The college identified West Georgia and East Alabama as the geographic areas for those employer connections.

The initiative is part of the college's workforce development activities. Its official announcement connects the program offerings with civilian career opportunities across several industries. Those areas include transportation, manufacturing, construction, healthcare, information technology, logistics, public safety and professional services.

2. Who is eligible to participate in SkillBridge?

According to the college's release, SkillBridge is available to eligible service members during their final 180 days of active duty. The program allows those service members to take civilian career training while continuing to receive their military pay and benefits. The college's announcement specifically identifies that final 180-day period as the participation window for active-duty personnel.

Columbus Technical College also states that veterans and military spouses can access the same workforce training. The release distinguishes these groups from active-duty SkillBridge participants while identifying training opportunities for all three. Veterans and military spouses are included in the college's broader description of people served by the Puckett Center.

Corey Woods, vice president of Workforce Solutions and chief operating officer of the Puckett Center, addressed those groups in the launch announcement. "Whether someone is transitioning through SkillBridge, has already completed military service, or is a military spouse building a career, the Puckett Center exists to help them succeed," Woods said. His statement appears in the college's official August release.

3. What are the 15 SkillBridge job-training programs?

Columbus Technical College announced 15 approved SkillBridge training programs covering transportation, skilled trades, healthcare, technology and legal services. The complete list appears in its August 2026 launch release. The programs can be organized into four general career categories based on their titles.

The category groupings are a Columbus Times organization of the college's published program list. Seven programs fall under trades and transportation, two under healthcare, five under information technology and one under legal services. Together, those categories account for all 15 programs announced by Columbus Technical College.

The college identifies each program by its training title in the official release. It does not provide an individual graduate or employment count for each program in that announcement. The list therefore describes available training fields rather than a ranking of programs by enrollment or employment outcomes.

4. Which programs cover transportation, manufacturing and skilled trades?

Seven of the 15 programs involve transportation, logistics, machining, electrical work or welding, based on the college's published titles. They include Commercial Driver's License, Logistics Management Specialist, Basic Machinist, Industrial Electrician and Basic Electrical Technician. The remaining two are Basic Shielded Metal Arc Welder and Gas Metal / Tungsten Arc Welder.

These programs correspond to several employment sectors identified in the college's announcement. Columbus Technical College lists transportation, manufacturing, construction and logistics among the industries connected with its training initiatives. The college also says participants receive hands-on training and opportunities to connect with employers in West Georgia and East Alabama.

The two welding programs are listed separately in the official announcement. The same is true of the Industrial Electrician and Basic Electrical Technician offerings. The college presents them as distinct programs within its approved SkillBridge lineup.

5. What healthcare training is available?

Columbus Technical College lists two healthcare-related programs among its 15 SkillBridge offerings. They are Emergency Medical Technician, identified as EMT, and Medical Coding Specialist. Both appear in the college's August launch announcement.

Healthcare is one of the industries the college identifies as part of its workforce training focus. The institution states that participants can gain industry-recognized credentials and practical training through its programs. The announcement also connects the overall initiative with employers across West Georgia and East Alabama.

The two healthcare programs are included in the same approved SkillBridge list as the transportation, trades and technology programs. The college does not separate them into a different launch period in its announcement. Both were included in the group of programs introduced Aug. 10, 2026.

6. Which technology programs are offered?

Five of the announced programs fall within information technology. They are Cybersecurity Fundamentals, Network Technician, AWS Cloud Solutions Specialist, Generative AI Technician and Java Programmer. Columbus Technical College lists all five in its official SkillBridge announcement.

The technology options cover different areas of technical training, as reflected in their program names. Cybersecurity, networking, cloud solutions, generative artificial intelligence and Java programming are each represented in the approved lineup. Information technology is also one of the workforce sectors identified by the college.

These five offerings account for one-third of the 15 announced programs, according to a Columbus Times calculation. They are listed alongside the seven trades and transportation programs, two healthcare programs and one legal services program. All are part of the college's August 2026 SkillBridge launch.

7. Is there a program for legal services?

Yes. Columbus Technical College includes Paralegal among its 15 approved SkillBridge programs. It is the only program in the announced lineup grouped under legal services in this guide.

The college's launch announcement identifies professional services as one of the industries aligned with its training initiatives. Paralegal appears in the official list alongside the transportation, manufacturing, healthcare and technology offerings. The college describes industry-recognized credentials and employer connections as features of the overall workforce training initiative.

The Paralegal program was included when the 15-program lineup launched Aug. 10. It is not identified as a separate later addition in the college's announcement. Its inclusion makes legal services one of the career areas represented in the original program list.

8. What is the Puckett Center, and when did it open?

The COL Ralph Puckett Workforce Development Center is the Columbus Technical College facility associated with the SkillBridge initiative. According to a separate college announcement, it held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday, July 31, 2026, at 9 a.m. College President Martha Ann Todd spoke at the event, and tours followed the ceremony.

The SkillBridge programs launched Aug. 10, coinciding with the center's opening for the Fall 2026 semester. The college announced 15 approved programs as part of that launch. Its release describes the center's training as serving transitioning service members, veterans and military spouses.

The Puckett Center is part of Columbus Technical College, which is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, according to its official ribbon-cutting announcement. The center and the SkillBridge programs were announced in separate college releases. The college lists the center's web address as columbustech.edu/puckettcenter.

9. Does Columbus Tech offer other career-transition programs, and what are its job placement results?

Yes. The college's newsroom also identifies the Talent Alignment Program+, known as TAP+, as a four-week career-transition program. According to the college, its first cohort began Aug. 11, 2026, the day after the SkillBridge launch.

Columbus Technical College also reported record graduate and employment outcomes for Academic Year 2026. In an October announcement, the college said it graduated 1,543 students and achieved a record 94.6% in-field placement rate. The college described that placement figure as applying to graduates who entered the workforce and found employment in their fields of study.

The AY26 figures represent the college's overall reported academic outcomes, not results specifically for the newly launched SkillBridge programs. The college announced those results separately from its August training launch. The 94.6% figure therefore should not be interpreted as a SkillBridge-specific placement rate.

10. How can service members, veterans and military spouses contact the program?

Columbus Technical College provides a dedicated website for its Puckett Center workforce training initiatives. The official address is www.columbustech.edu/puckettcenter. The college also lists [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) as the contact email for SkillBridge information.

The college's release identifies the final 180 days of active duty as the SkillBridge participation period for eligible service members. Service members may also want to talk with their command and transition office, a Columbus Times suggestion that is not part of the college's release. Veterans and military spouses are included among the groups eligible to access the same workforce training described by the college.

The August announcement identifies all 15 programs and the types of training and employer connections offered through the initiative. It names Corey Woods as vice president of Workforce Solutions and chief operating officer of the Puckett Center. The college's official website and SkillBridge email are the published contact resources for information about the programs.