Liberty County is Work Ready!
HINESVILLE – A crowd of nearly 100 business and civic leaders from Liberty County gathered this morning at the Liberty County Board of Education to celebrate the County’s official designation as a Work Ready Community of Excellence. The designation means that the county has the skilled workforce needed to meet business demands and drive economic growth, as well as the educational foundation to build a pipeline of workers ready to create ongoing success.
Liberty County earned 2,901 Work Ready Certificates, 115 percent more than goal. It also increased the public high school graduation rate from 69.4 to 77.8.
Melvin Everson, director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development addressed the group and presented a check in the amount of $10,000 to support the community’s efforts in sustaining the momentum for Work Ready. “Liberty County is the 100th county in Georgia to earn this designation,” he said. The Governor’s Office of Workforce Development was created by Governor Sonny Perdue in August 2006 to improve the job training and marketability of Georgia’s workforce and drive future economic growth for the state.
At the event, a number of Liberty-based organizations were presented with certificates indicating their participation. Among them was SNF Chemtall, represented by David Kaye and a team of employees. Chemtall was the first company in the county to require a Work Ready certification as a part of its employment processes. “It has made a tremendous difference for us,” said Recruiter Maria Mondragon.
Georgia Work Ready is administered through the Technical College System of Georgia. “Today we celebrate the partnerships that have made us successful in Liberty County,” said College President Kathy Love. “Workforce development is at the core of everything we do at Savannah Tech. We’re proud that Liberty County is the first county in our service area to become Work Ready certified.”
Members of the Liberty County Work Ready Team:
· Robert Stokes, Georgia Power (chair)
· Terrie Sellers (vice-chair), Ken Boyd and Julie Gerbsch, Savannah Technical College
· Leah Poole, Cathleen Thomas and Tony Mahan, Liberty Chamber of Commerce
· Bob Sprinkle and Carmella Orr, Liberty County
· Lisa Eason, Tom Alexander, and Sonja Duncan, Liberty County Schools
· Jessica Hood, Liberty County Development Authority
· P.J. Schneider, Department of Labor
· Billy Edwards, Holly Stevens-Brown, and Maureen Mobley, City of Hinesville
· DeLisa Espada, Strategic Business Solutions
· Janet Jones, Coastal Workforce Investment Board
For information call the WORK READY HOTLINE at 912.443.3014 or visit:
http://www.savannahtech.edu/cwo/Economic_Development/Georgia_Work_Ready
Savannah Technical College serves Coastal Georgia with quality, market-driven technical education with campus locations in Chatham, Effingham and Liberty Counties. Serving more than 10,000 credit and non-credit students annually, Savannah Tech offers nearly 150 different instructional programs in Aviation Technology, Business and Professional Services, Industrial Technology, and Health Sciences in addition to Adult Education classes, industry-specific training and continuing education. The College serves as an economic and community development partner for the region, offering corporate and customized training and assessment programs for business and industry.
Savannah Technical College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees, diplomas and technical certificates of credit. Questions about the accreditation of Savannah Technical College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).