Georgia's 'Main Entrance Sign' to the World!
Governor Perdue announces 2008 Certified Work Ready Communities grants to 26 counties to accelerate certification
To read the press release, click here.
The first sign up period for Certified Work Ready Communities closed April 30, 2007. Continue to check back for the next opportunity to participate.
Georgia Is Ready To Work!
The Governor's workforce development vision links education and workforce development and aligns them with economic development at the State, regional and community levels.
Georgia's Work Ready program will be a tool available to local communities in Georgia to help validate they have the workforce ready to fill the hiring needs for both existing and new industries. From Employers to Job Seekers to Community Leaders - everyone can benefit from Georgia Work Ready!
View map of participating Certified Work Ready Communities.
What Are Certified Work Ready Communities?
Just as Georgia's Work Ready Certificate provides individuals a means to demonstrate their skills to current and potential employers, Governor Perdue's Certified Work Ready Community initiative enables entire communities to showcase their ability to staff the new businesses and industries that consider locating in them.
Coordinated through the Governor's Office of Workforce Development, the Georgia Certified Work Ready Community program summarizes into one document the myriad qualifications of hundreds or thousands of workers, providing a single-source answer to questions about the adequacy of present and future workers to meet any demands that may be placed on them.
That answer will represent the outcome of assessments made through the Georgia Work Ready program. The assessment will be offered through Georgia's Technical College System by means of the ACT WorkKeysTM test battery. ACT WorkKeys has seen nationwide usage by schools and businesses over a number of years and has credibility with educators and employers.
Georgia Certified Work Ready Communities can confirm possession of measured skills in Applied Mathematics, Reading for Information and Locating Information, as well as a Personal skills test that measures attitudes toward work. Job applicants with a Georgia Work Ready Certificate arrive with those skills critical to job success, enabling employers to cut training costs and reduce turnover.
Click here to view the criteria for becoming a Certified Work Ready Community.
Click here to view the guidance letter.
Click here to download the participant form application.
CWRC Team Leaders
| Appling County | Karen Glenn | glennkk@bellsouth.net |
| Baldwin County | Tara Peters | tara.peters@alltel.net |
| Barrow County | Keith Lee | Klee@barrowga.org |
| Norma Jean Brown | nbrown@barrowga.org | |
| Bartow County | Fred Kittle | Fred.Kittle@gbe.com |
| Bibb County | Kari Kitchens | kkitchens@co.bibb.ga.us |
| Brooks County | Tina Herring | brookscoda@windstream.net |
| Bulloch County | Ben Thompson | bthompson@ogeecheetech.edu |
| Butts County | Michael Brewer | jmbrewer@buttscounty.org |
| Catoosa County | Al Hutchison | ahutchison@northwesterntech.edu |
| Chatooga County | Al Hutchison | ahutchison@northwesterntech.edu |
| Clarke County | Jerry Barrow | jbarrow@athenstech.org |
| Steve Hollis | Steve.Hollis@powerpartners-usa.com | |
| Cobb County | John Helton | jhelton@cobbworks.org |
| Coweta County | Carole Ann Jones | cclarke_workforce@hotmail.com |
| Crisp County | Jan Odom | janma@planttel.net |
| Decatur County | Cile Warr | cile@bainbridgegachamber.com |
| Rebecca Martin | rsm@bainbridgedecaturga.com | |
| Dougherty County | Harriet Hollis Bradford | hhollis@albanyga.com |
| Douglas County | Mary Margaret Garrett | MGarrett@atlantaregional.com |
| Amber Wilburn | Wilburn@douglascountygeorgia.com | |
| Ebert County | Anna Grant Jones | ecdev@elberton.net |
| Fannin County | Kristin Gunia | kgunia@fannindevelopment.com |
| Floyd County | Pete McDonald | pmcdonald@coosavalleytech.edu |
| Paul Luthi | paul.luthi@suhner.com | |
| Forsyth County | James McCoy | jmccoy@cummingforsythchamber.org |
| Franklin County | Cindy Luper | cluper@franklin.k12.ga.us |
| Lyn Allen | IBA@franklin-county.com | |
| Gilmer County | Kathy Hoelscher-Levine | khlevine@gilmerchamber.org |
| Grady County | Rick McCaskill | cairochamber@syrupcity.net |
| Greene County | Linda Edington | ledington@athenstech.edu |
| Richard Schneider | dick@rgssoftware.com | |
| Gwinnett County | Gail Macrenaris | gail@gwinnettchamber.org |
| Hall County | Shelly Davis | sdavis@ghcc.com |
| Harris County | Lynda Dawson | ldawson@harriscountychamber.org |
| Hart County | Dwayne Dye | IBA@hartcom.net |
| Houston County | Dan Stone | dstone@flintemc.com |
| Jackson County | Bill Burns | bburns@jacksonemc.com |
| Howard Ledford | hledford@laniertech.edu | |
| Jefferson County | Lillian Easterlin | Leasterlin@jeffersoncounty.org |
| Jenkins County | Julie Chance | jchance@jcfec.org |
| Jones County | Pamela Christopher | pam@jonescounty.org |
| Laurens County | Jep Craig | jcraig@heartofgatech.edu |
| Long County | Terri Hrisak | thrisak@long.k12.ga.us |
| Lowndes County | Corrie Butler | pschmidt@valdostatech.edu |
| Macon County | Jimmy Davis | jcdavisjr@windstream.net |
| Madison County | Marvin White | Marvin@madisoncountyga.org |
| Marion County | Deborah H. Ford | dford@marion.k12.ga.us |
| Meriwether County | Carolyn McKinley | meriwetherchamber@windstream.net |
| Mitchell County | Marilyn Royal | mroyal@mitchellcountyga.net |
| Monroe County | Tiffany Andrews | tiffany@forsyth-monroechamber.com |
| Muscogee County | Janeen Tucker | jtucker@columbusgachamber.com |
| Oconee County | Rusty Haygood | rhaygood@oconee.ga.us |
| Oglethorpe County | Cary P. Fordyce | foxtrote@sprynet.com |
| Peach County | Perry Swanson | pswanson@peachchamber.com |
| Walter Smith | waltersmith@valleycabletv.com | |
| Pickens County | Denise Duncan | denise@pickenschamber.com |
| Pike County | Christy Hammons | nckempson@bellsouth.net |
| pikeida@bellsouth.net | ||
| Polk County | Tamaka Hudson | polkevents@bellsouth.net |
| Putnam County | Roddie Anne Blackwell | pchamber@eatonton.com |
| Rockdale County | Glenn Sears | glennsears@comcast.net |
| Mary Margaret Garrett | MGarrett@atlantaregional.com | |
| Schley County | Lisa Albritton | Ellaville_Schley@Alltel.net |
| Seminole County | Brenda Broome | dosemcc@alltel.net |
| Stephens County | Gordon Broome | ordon.broome@alltel.net |
| Stewart County | Mac Moye | mmoye@stewartcountyga.gov |
| Sumter County | Sherrill House | memomhouse@bellsouth.net |
| Talbot County | Dorothy Bass | dbass@talbot.k12.ga.us |
| Thomas County | Gary Pitts | gpitts@southwestgatech.edu |
| Don Sims | dsims@rose.net | |
| Tift County | Katie Harrison | kharrison@moultrietech.edu |
| Toombs County | David Yarbrough | dyarbrough@southeasterntech.edu |
| Towns County | Candace Lee | Candace.Lee@brmemc.com |
| Troup County | Ginger Booton | vbooton@westgatech.edu |
| Twiggs County | Milton Sampson | miltsamp@aol.com |
| Union County | Bill Boemanns | bill@mti-us.com |
| Upson County | Kris Thomas | kris.thomas@qg.com |
| Walker County | Al Hutchison | ahutchison@northwesterntech.edu |
| Walton County | Mark Peevy | mpeevy@walton.k12.ga.us |
| Ware County | Cindy Eblin | cweblin@segardc.org |
| Linda Zechmann | lindazechmann@wayxcable.com | |
| Warren County | O.B. McCorkle | chamber@warrencountyga.com |
| Wayne County | haha@waynechamber.com | |
| Hank Martin | hmartin@altamahatech.edu | |
| Webster County | Cindy Barley | wcfc_ga@windstream.net |
| Wilkes County | Donna Hardy | mmhardy@nu-z.net |
| Wally Summers | wsummers@southgatech.edu |
Round 2
| Berrien County | Crissy Staley | berrienchamber@windstream.net |
| Bleckley County | Kathryn Fisher | kfisher_cbchamber@comsouth.net |
| Bryan County | Brad Anderson | banderson@bryan.k12.ga.us |
| Ken Boyd | kboyd@savannahtech.edu | |
| Camden County | Sandra Bunn | sbunn@cgcc.edu |
| Candler County | Tom Bigwood | lconner@metter.org |
| Cherokee County | Jerry Cooper | jcooper@cherokeega.com |
| Colquitt County | Katie Harrison | kharrison@moultrietech.edu |
| Crawford County | Carol Jackson | cbdc@pstel.net |
| Dekalb County | Mia Pressley | mdpressl@co.dekalb.ga.us |
| Leonardo McClarty | lmcclarty@dekalbchamber.org | |
| Dodge County | Susan Coffee | shcoffee@bellsouth.net |
| Early County | Hilary Halford | hilaryh63@yahoo.com |
| Effingham County | Dr. C.B. Rathburn | rathburn@savannahtech.edu |
| Emanuel County | Pete Snell | psnell@swainsborotech.edu |
| Henry County | Kay Pippin | kpippin@henrycounty.com |
| Joey Balog | jbalog@henrycounty.com | |
| Jeff Davis County | Rebecca Burnette | hazjdcoc@altamaha.net |
| Johnson County | Jean O'Mea | jean_omea@johnson.k12.ga.us |
| Liberty County | Kenny Smiley | libcochamber@coastalnow.net |
| Lincoln County | Alana Burke | aburke@lincolncountyga.com |
| McDuffie County | Mike Carrington | mcarrington@thomson-mcduffie.net |
| Ken Williams | kwcrete@bellsouth.net | |
| Morgan County | Shey Daniel | sdaniel@madisonga.org |
| Pulaski County | Kimberly Brown | kimberly@hawkinsvillechamber.org |
| Rabun County | Ron Barden | rlbarden@windstream.net |
| Randolph County | Patricia Goodman | |
| Screven County | Gayle Boykin | ida2@alltel.net |
| Taylor County | Patricia Brunson | pbrunson@pstel.net |
| Telfair County | Paula Rogers | rogers@telfairco.com |
| Terrell County | Gina Webb | tccc@windstream.net |
| Treutlen County | Chuck Ellington | cellington@treutlen.net |
| Turner County | Katie Harrison | kharrison@moultrietech.edu |
| Wheeler County | Eve Rodgers | evejohnsonrodgers@yahoo.com |
| White County | Tom O'Bryant | tobryant@whitecounty.net |
| Wilkinson County | Mary Purcell | mpurcell@wilkinsoncounty.net |
| Worth County | Katie Harrison | kharrison@moultrietech.edu |
