CLARKESVILLE - Work Ready training in the North Georgia mountains recently became more accessible to manufacturers and businesses in the area, thanks to a special grant for quality and leadership education.
Working with the chambers of commerce and economic development entities in Hart, Franklin, Banks, Stephens, Habersham, and White counties, Gerald Turner with Georgia Mountain Manufacturing Regional Work Ready organized these training events. Using North Georgia Technical College (NGTC) and its relationship with the Georgia QuickStart program, a selection of ten courses covering the topics of OSHA safety, leadership, quality, and maintenance was slated for the months of May, June, and July.
"We were pleased to fulfill this need in the community," said NGTC Vice President of Economic Development Dr. Mark Ivester. "The businesses in this area wanted to close some skill gaps for employees, and this was a wonderful opportunity for them."
This training was made possible by the Georgia Mountain Manufacturing Regional Work Ready Grant. The topics were determined by a survey from the Governor's Office of Workforce Development. From there, North Georgia Tech worked with the QuickStart curriculum to tailor the classes to the needs of the industry in this area.
"We expect our total enrollment to reach 300," said NGTC Director of Contract Training Tim Bennett. "We have had more than 30 different manufacturers and businesses send their employees to these classes. On average, the class size has been between 30 and 40."
All of the classes were held on the NGTC Currahee Campus, often taking advantage of the Culinary Arts luncheons in the middle of the day.
"We have offered leadership courses focusing on supervisory and communication skills," said Bennett. "We are working through several quality courses such as Lean Manufacturing and the Six Sigma Green Belt course. The maintenance classes targeted electrical, mechanical, and automated equipment. Both OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 classes were held in June and July."
# # # #
Photo: NGTC Instructor Robert Knighton leads a group of 60 through the Communications module of the Leadership training.
Saturday
August 23rd, 2025
6:13AM
