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Barrow County was among the 19 additional Georgia communities achieving the title of Certified Work Ready in the last year., and the local community’s effort was recently recognized by Gov. Sonny Perdue and the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development.
Last week, the second annual Work Ready Awards, which recognized and honored the partners, businesses and individuals who have supported Georgia Work Ready and made it a success, were held in Atlanta, and Barrow County Team Leaders were recognized on the podium by Gov. Perdue and received a framed proclamation.
The Chamber of Commerce’s Workforce Development Committee is the Work Ready Committee for Barrow County.
"Under Joe Vogt’s leadership, we will continue to encourage citizens to become Work Ready certified, to engage in free training to elevate their certificate levels, and to engage our local business and industry in Work Ready efforts to support the work of the Innovation Crescent," said Sherri Perry, who serves as Executive Director of the Winder-Barrow Certified Literate Community Coalition.
Joining Workforce Development Committee Chairman Vogt and Perry at the awards event was Lisa Maloof, who serves as director of the Winder-Barrow Campus of Lanier Technical College, Chamber Vice President for Membership Debi Krause, Chamber President Tommy Jennings, Vice President of Economic Development Linda Moore, Chamber Board Chairman Chris Gray, Marshall Chambers, who serves as Strategic Initiatives Director for Barrow County School, and Sally Brown, who served as the primary test proctor for the Work Ready assessments.Three counties have joined the list of Certified Work Ready Communities to bring the tally to 22. The new counties receiving the designation are Echols, Stephens and Taliaferro counties.
"Work Ready is helping make our state a top destination for jobs and investment," said Gov. Perdue. "Through the Work Ready program, communities around Georgia have rallied together and committed to developing the talented workforce that business demands and the educational infrastructure to drive sustained economic growth and prosperity."
In addition to Barrow, other Certified Work Ready counties are Bartow, Bleckley, Brooks, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cook, Dougherty, Franklin, Grady, Greene, Hart, Jefferson, Jenkins, Laurens, McDuffie, Pike, Upson and Ware counties.
"Earning Certified Work Ready Community status shows that local leaders understand the importance of ensuring our citizens have the skills necessary to staff existing jobs and to master the innovative technologies new jobs will require in the future," said Gov. Perdue.
Georgia’s Work Ready Regions, which support Georgia’s fastest-growing industries by ensuring the necessary workforce is trained and ready to meet their needs, were also recognized for their ongoing success.
The Innovation Crescent Work Ready Region, in which Barrow is included, received one of the five "Go For the Gold" Awards for successfully closing their skills gap and meeting their available workforce Gold-level Work Ready Certificate goals. The Innovation Crescent developed a process to enroll disconnected youth and unemployed Georgians in gap training, propelling the region from 8.3 percent to 21.4 percent Gold Work Ready Certificates.
Several Georgia employers were also recognized for their use of Work Ready to profile jobs, make hiring decisions and develop ongoing workforce development programs.
Georgia’s technical college system is a key partner in the success of the Work Ready program, and Work Ready Awards honor the Work Ready Job Profiling Team of the Year and Work Ready Administrators of the Year. This year’s winners are Patty Hart of Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Ann Sechrist of Gwinnett Technical College and the Central Georgia Technical College’s economic development team of Rebecca Lee, vice president of economic development, and Ann Lear, business and industry training specialist.
The Atlanta Regional Workforce Board was recognized with the Local Workforce Investment Board of the Year Award.
For more information on the Work Ready initiative please visit the Web site at www.gaworkready.org
