Georgia Work Ready Initiative

Jo Ann BerryDeputy Director, External AffairsSeptember 9, 2011

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Governor’s vision

We need a workforce development system that links workforce development and education together and aligns to the

economic needs of the state, its regions and local communities”

- Governor Sonny PerdueFeb. 20, 2006

Governance

Workforce Investment Act of 1998 HB 1195 signed into law 2010 (SWIB) Executive Order dated February 2, 2006

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GOWD Organizational Chart

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Core: Job Seekers & WRC

Establish local partnerships… County based teams

– Local leaders – county and municipal– Technical College and Adult Education– Local School Board(s)– Local Workforce Investment Boards

– GDOL regional reps– Chamber of Commerce– GDEcD representative– Local businesses– High School Graduation Coaches– Others

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Established Statewide Partnership…

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How it works: Certified Work Ready Community

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How communities earn certification Specified percent of county residents successfully attain Work

Ready Certification (S-3%/25%)(M-2%/20%)(L-1%/15%) (XL-.5%/5%)– percentage of existing workforce (private/gov.)– percentage of available workforce (C, U, GED, HS)

Public high school graduation rate increase– Determine how many additional students must graduate each

year to achieve goal for the community– Target at-risk students who, with intervention, will be able to

graduate– Use high school graduation coaches to identify these

students and support them Demonstrate county-wide commitment to earning certification

How to accomplish goals

CWRC teams hold community meetings GOWD conducts monthly conference calls and

quarterly face to face meetings Sharing of best practices Assign responsibility and hold team members

accountable Celebrate county milestones and talk about success in

order to build support

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104 CWRCs4 RCWRCs7 HSGR45 In-Progress3 NP

Certified Work Ready Communities

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Work Ready Regions

Regional industry-clusters to develop Georgia’s talent pools aligned to strategic industry

Build upon Certified Work Ready Communities

Economic asset mapping to determine actual regions (22)

– # companies– Commuting pattern– Assets (colleges w/ training, innovation centers

Identifying Critical Workforce Needs: The Work Ready Certificate (NCRC)

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The gold standard in skills testing

SKILL AREAS Reading for Information Applied Mathematics Locating Information Applied Technology Teamwork Observation Listening Writing Business Writing

** 85% of ALL occupations utilize

these skills

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Georgia Work Ready Certificate Three assessments

– Applied mathematics– Reading for information– Locating information

Issue Certificate based on lowest level earned

3s and above Bronze 4s and above Silver 5s and above Gold

WorkKeys ScoresCertificate 6s and above Platinum

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Work Ready Certificate

More than 240,000 Work Ready Certificates earned

Show of skills Work Habits (Talent)

available at assessment centers

Goal: 100,000 Georgians earn a Work Ready Certificate every year

How it works: Work Ready Job Profiling

GWR job profiles

A job analysis tool developed by ACT that helps employers understand what skills are required for a specific position (critical need)

Profiling sessions rely on job incumbents as subject matter experts (SMEs)

A final report to management contains complete task analysis information and skill recommendations

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Matching WRC to job requirements Customized job profile helps employers use Work

Ready assessment and certificate information to match employees with positions based on foundational skill requirements

Sample certificate levels:– Aircraft structure assemblers, precision – Gold– Home health aides – Bronze– Pharmacy technician – Gold– Truck driver – Silver

Companies throughout Georgia have profiled more than 341 jobs and many more are in the pipeline

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How job profiles help the bottom line

When used as an HR tool in tandem with Work Ready Assessments, employers report that a job profile can:– Reduce cost to hire and time to hire– Improve training time and cost– Reduce employee turnover– Increase productivity and reduces waste

In addition to pre-screening and hiring, many employers use job profiles to develop and promote their existing workforce and for:– Allocating internal training budgets– Hourly worker succession planning

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Service delivery

The Technical College System of Georgia supports Work Ready via their economic development offices.

The technical colleges administer assessments, provide gap training and offer job profiling services

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Common language

Business

Job Seekers

Education

Work Ready Certificate can become a common language between

business and educationMutual understanding of workforce needs through communication!

USG Questions

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USG Questions

WR impact on Georgia employment:

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Vision for Work Ready

Continuation of original vision Added initiatives

– Soft Skills New director – direction TBD – the past? Technical certificate – technical college USG involvement potential

– ideas on how? Two-year USG institutions ≠ technical colleges

– WR potential

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Benefits to Job Seekers

Showcase level of applied skill to employers. A supplement/ enhancement for tools already at job

seekers’ disposal.

─ Interviews, work history, resumes, references, etc.

Through Skills Gap training, level of applied skill can be improved.

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Skills gap training – targets for instruction

Gap analysis shows how the person performed relativeto the “bar.”

Reflects the skills required according to

the job profile

Reflects the job seeker’s certification

level

Certified Work Ready resources

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www.gaworkready.org

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Work Ready was developed to make Georgia’s workforce our number one

competitive advantage to support and grow existing industry and to attract new industry

Questions?

Contact Jo Ann Berry at jaberry@georgia.gov or 404-463-8510

Direct companies to our website: http://www.gaworkready.org

Please help us get the word out about Georgia Work Ready among businesses in your community!