Jackson, Barrow, Gwinnett counties getting state 'work ready' grants

ATLANTA - Northeast Georgia is one of seven regions that will be getting work ready grants totaling $3.5 million as part of Gov. Sonny Perdue's workforce initiative.

Barrow, Gwinnett and Jackson counties are part of the northeast Georgia region and will each get a $500,000 bioscience grant to help increase the skill level of their workforces.

Debra Lyons, director of the Governor's Office of Workforce Development, said the grants are designed to target region-specific industries, provide job training and develop a strong talent pool for those industries.

"We think regionalism, and aligning it with growth industries, is going to ensure that Georgia's workforce is the state's number one competitive advantage," Lyons said.

She said the potential work ready regions will get money to assist in increasing the number of individuals in the workforce holding a work ready certificate, ensuring each county in the region earns certified work ready community status, encouraging local employers to complete work ready job profiles and providing specialized training for the existing workforce.

Lyons said life sciences such as agribusiness, therapeutics and pharmaceuticals are beginning to take off in the northeast Georgia region.

The grant will "help this region be able to show it has the talent pool to fill not only jobs of today, but for tomorrow, and to help this region grow in the life science industry," she said.

Each regional effort is being led by a local businessperson associated with the strategic industry, who will help to ensure the region's work plan meets the needs of the industsry, both current and future.

"These regions are very much business-led, so it brings a new perspective and a real alignment with the needs of industry," Lyons said.

Georgia's Work Ready initiative is based upon a skills assessment and certification for job seekers and a job profiling system for businesses. By identifying both the needs of business and the available skills of Georgia's workforce, the state can more effectively generate the right talent for the right jobs.

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On the Net:

http://www.gaworkready.org.