MACON, Ga. — Robins Air Force Base leaders met in Macon Tuesday to discuss how local partners can help them recruit the next generation of U.S. Air Force workers.
Robins leaders said they have "work to do in terms of their recruiting techniques," especially when it comes to civilian tech jobs.
It's important because the base brings more than $5 billion in impact to Georgia.
Tuesday afternoon at Macon's Central Georgia Technical College campus, they talked with area businesses to brainstorm ways to inspire Central Georgia's children to join their workforce.
A Robins Air Force Base panel joined a room full of Central Georgia partners to brainstorm how to build a long-lasting military workforce.
"A lot of people, when they think of the Air Force Base, they think of flying airplanes. That's a small portion of what we do," Major General Thomas Grabowski said.
Grabowski sat on the 2022 Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Roundtable.
He says it's time to change their recruiting techniques.
"When I grew up, we would take field trips to the base and what we are trying to do at the base and with the Georgia National Guard is bring the field trips to the schools," Grabowski said.
Major General Grabowski says he wants to bring doctors, nurses, engineers, and people in aviation to schools to inspire the students.
"Not necessarily bring the recruiters into the schools, but kind of like a 'show-and-tell,' and just educate our young folks in the school systems about careers in the United States Air Force, whether it's in uniform or as a civilian," Grabowski said.
"With hopes that some of them latch on and say, 'Hey, that looks pretty cool. I want to come work at Robins in the Air Logistics one day.' We have to do more of that moving forward," Commander of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex Brigadier General Jon Eberlan said.
Major General Grabowski also says they want to work closely with the Macon-Bibb, Houston, and Peach County School Systems.
"I am just glad that the military is thinking about our K-12 system and not just expectations they have for us, but an authentic way they want to involve themselves in exposing our students to give us the information we need, so that we can turn that light on in students," Bibb School Superintendent Dan Sims said.
Sims says they are "deeply and sincerely" interested in forming a partnership with the base.
"I just think people don't know the opportunities that are available and the ones that are on the horizon, so from a K-12 standpoint, I think I agree with them. There is no such thing as too early to expose our students because so much is happening down the line; and they have the for site to get ahead of it. We want to get ahead of it with them," Sims said.
Robins leaders met in Macon
Robins Air Force Base 78th Airbase Wing Commander Colonel Lindsay C. Droz also spoke during Tuesday's panel.
"If for whatever reason, you are not able to serve in a uniform, we have 15,000 serving, serving their country in a civilian compacity, so we just want opportunities to work and partner with the school board; and just to be aware. Sometimes we are not aware of the opportunities that exist on either side," Droz said.
"The base can't succeed without the community; and the community can't succeed without the base; so this is a symbiotic relationship between academia, the military, and our industry partners and business leaders," Grabowski said.
The panel also talked about a large part of potential recruits being ineligible to enlist, because of medical, health concerns.
It's something they know they are up against, but that's why they want to look at syllabi and compare lesson plans to their Robins staff for field trips.
The goal to introduce students to career paths early.
"Why isn't there a military path. I'm not talking about ROTC, JROTC. I am talking about a military track where educators prepare people to take and pass the AFTQ test and get these young folks ready for a career, whether that's Title V as a civilian or in a military unit part-time or full-time," Grabowski said.
Robins employs almost 24,000 employees; 15,000 civilians; and 6,000 military.
Grabowski says they have plenty of job openings in all three sectors.
They're looking to hire 17- to 39-year-olds.