WIA Incentive Grant

WIA Incentive Grant Partners – PY 2004

State of Georgia

Background Information

Governor Perdue’s vision for workforce development is a system where workforce development and education are linked together and aligned with the economic development needs of the state, its regions and communities.  Workforce development must be built into a holistic and systematic cycle of life-long learning, beginning with pre-school, through high school and continuing throughout adult life changes. The system must respond to market-driven directions in economic development by developing new sets of knowledge, skills and tools for continuous improvement of the workforce.

The Governor has embraced the essential elements of the 21st Century Workforce system identified by the National Governors’ Association: stronger connections to the business community to identify the skills needed to power the regional economy, training and education programs to meet skill demands and connect the resources of various programs to provide lifelong training and education, and support of industry-sector and cluster based strategies working with a network of firms to train the workforce effectively.

Perhaps as important to Georgia, the Governor’s vision was also informed by recommendations of the Commission for a New Georgia Task Forces on Workforce Development, Strategic Industries and Competitiveness. Specifically, the Workforce Development Task Force, convened by Governor Perdue in 2004, adopted the mission of making Georgia’s workforce its number one asset in the global economy. The task force members understood how the workforce helps to drive economic development and stimulate continued growth in the state. The task force approached its work by recognizing the vital links between K-12 education, post-secondary educational opportunities and a prepared workforce that meets the needs of Georgia’s current and future business community. In fact, the Task Force focused on how to best meet the needs of businesses, stating that future jobs will require higher skill levels than in the past, and that all Georgians will have to engage in life-long learning to ensure they remain prepared for the evolving workplace.

A recent Executive Order from the Governor (February 2, 2006) reconstituted the State Workforce Investment Board with a mission to assist the Governor in creating an integrated statewide strategic plan for Workforce Development, which links workforce policies and education programs to the economic needs of the state, its regions and its communities.

To produce a strategic plan of action that when implemented will enable the Governor’s workforce development vision to become a reality, the State Workforce Investment Board organized into six sub committees: Workforce Development Public Awareness Strategies, Holistic and Seamless Career Development in the Education Community Strategies, Workforce Development Strategies for “At Risk” and “Out of School” Youth, Partnering Community Resources to Remove Barriers to Work Strategies, Adult Lifelong Learning Strategies and Strategies to Align Workforce Development (Education) and Economic Development.

As the sub committees move forward, one overarching strategy is consistently reoccurring in five of the six sub committees’ work -- the importance of supporting the development of a comprehensive system that improves the success of all students transitioning into high school and beyond with the academic knowledge and skills to succeed in the workplace.

Steps to achieve Georgia’s vision for a world-class workforce system are underway with state and local partners working together to understand each others services and how they can work together to effectively address the needs of Georgia businesses and residents. The Departments of Education, Labor, Technical and Adult Education and the Office of Adult Literacy continue to collaborate to establish a continuum of service strategies that address the needs of individuals and families, with each partner contributing its unique areas of expertise. However, this is the first proposal submitted whereby the partner agencies have agreed to not only submit activities and projects that address a common theme but also support the core of Georgia’s Workforce Development System -- the State Workforce Investment Board and its strategic planning efforts.

WIA Incentive Grant Partners