Bartow County Awarded $35,000 Certified
Work Ready Community Grant
Local Team will Accelerate Certification Process

Bartow Work Ready Team members at the Work Ready State Conference in Macon, where Fred Kittle, Bartow Work Ready Team leader, Graybar Electrical Company (right) presented the Bartow initiative. Also pictured, from left: Linda Walker, Bartow Collaborative Family Connection executive director, Kay Read, Cartersville/Bartow Chamber of Commerce CEO, Connie Smith, North Metro Technical College Work Ready director.

BY LINDA WALKER

The new Georgia Work Ready initiative sounds like economic development and it is.

"Earning Certified Work Ready Community status will ensure our citizens have the talent necessary to staff existing jobs and to master the innovative technologies new jobs will require tomorrow," said Fred Kittle, Bartow County Work Ready Team leader, Graybar Electric Company. "We will help transform our economy and give our community a competitive advantage in attracting new business and jobs."

But economic development issues also are about children and families—fostering school success, family stability and self-sufficiency, and a stronger community. Work Ready is about people, from the community leaders involved in the initiative to the individuals targeted by the program.

The success of Work Ready is contingent upon collaboration and getting all the key players—local governments, school boards, colleges, chamber of commerce, key agencies, business and industry, and Family Connection—to the table to get a job done. Bartow Work Ready did just that, under the leadership of Connie Smith, North Metro Technical College Work Ready director, who took a significant pay reduction when she resigned as a vice president at the college for what she describes as a "unique privilege of creating my own job as director of the Bartow Work Ready initiative."

Thanks to Smith's dedication, Fred Kittle's leadership, the support of the Cartersville/Bartow Chamber of Commerce, and the Work Ready Team Members, Bartow County's Work Ready Program has been awarded a $35,000 state grant to assist in accelerating earning Certified Work Ready Community status, a designation showing the county has the talented workforce that business demands, along with an educational infrastructure to drive economic growth and prosperity.

Governor Sonny Perdue awarded grants to 24 counties to assist in the Certified Work Ready Communities process. These counties will serve as a model for the initiative, showcasing successes and best practices for other communities to follow. Each county has pledged to complete the process within 18 months as a part of the eligibility requirements.

"These accelerated counties are leading the way to creating a competitive advantage for our state," said Perdue. "By jumpstarting the process, they can drive momentum and participation in the Work Ready initiative throughout the state."

In addition to the 24 accelerated counties, 49 other counties have committed to becoming Certified Work Ready communities and will have three years to reach the goals necessary to earn the designation.

To be designated a Certified Work Ready Community, counties must demonstrate a commitment to improving public high school graduation rates, show a specified percentage of graduates entering the workforce, and drive current workers and the unemployed to obtain a Work Ready Certificate.

Georgia's Work Ready initiative is comprised of a job profiling system for businesses and skills assessment, gap training, and certification for job seekers. By identifying both the needs of business and the available skills of Georgia's workforce, the state can more effectively generate the right talent for the right jobs.

"Bartow County is committed to working together as a team," said Smith. "We have a dedicated group that is determined to make this happen in the next 18 months."

Bartow County's Work Ready Team is lead by representatives from the chamber, workforce board, economic development, government, education, and business partners including Cartersville Bartow County Chamber of Commerce, City of Cartersville, Cartersville School System, Bartow County Government, Bartow County School System, Bartow Collaborative Family Connection, Cartersville Bartow County Department of Economic Development, North Metro Technical College, Georgia Highlands College, Cartersville Career Center, Georgia Power Plant Bowen, Gerdau Ameristeel, Daiki, Komatsu, Toyo Tire North America, CPC, Unity National Bank, Crescent Bank, Express Personnel, Ashton Staffing, and Peachtree Planning.

"Through the Work Ready Community certification, these counties will collectively help 1,600 Georgia youth successfully earn a high school diploma and more than 94,000 Georgians earn a Work Ready Certificate," said Perdue.

Bartow County's goal is to certify 1,900 community members as Work Ready and to improve the high school graduation rate by 3 percent within 18 months. Five testing sites are operating, and businesses are requesting customized job profiling. Staffing agencies and GED candidates in particular see Work Ready certification as an important credential to their future success. And school systems are exploring options for requiring assessment of all graduating seniors.

With all these factors already in place, there's no doubt Bartow County will meet its goal.

Linda Walker is the Family Connection Coordinator for Bartow Collaborative and has held that position since 1997 when Bartow Collaborative became a Family Connection collaborative.

For more information on the Georgia Work Ready initiative please visit the Web site at www.gaworkready.org.

For more information on how Family Connection collaboratives can become involved in Work Ready in your counties, please contact Linda Walker, Bartow Collaborative, Inc. at 770-773-7342 or lightchopp@aol.com.

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