3. The East Central Georgia Workforce Investment Center is an administrative entity tasked with operating Workforce Investment Act initiatives in the 12 county region known as Local Workforce Investment Area 13. The initiatives include the following service/funding streams:  Adult Employment and Training,  Dislocated Workers, and  Youth.

5. EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA WIA SERVICE DELIVERY AREA

6. The Workforce Investment Center engages diverse community entities in the effort to advance the use of the WorkKeys® system in the East Central Georgia area. These entities include:  School Administrators and Board Members,  City and County Government Officials, and  Employers.

7. The Workforce Investment Center has integrated the WorkKeys® System with all of its service programs, including:  On-the-Job Training,  Occupational Skills Training, and  Adult Basic Education.

8. On-the-Job Training… The Workforce Investment Center offers incentives to area employers who commit to On-the-Job Training contracts, including offsetting the cost of training eligible employees. One free WorkKeys® job profile is also available to contracted employers. To date, seven different companies have accepted the offer for a free profile…

9. Job Profiling The Workforce Investment Center currently has one authorized Job Profiler on staff. To date, 11 job profiles have been performed. Examples of Jobs that have been Profiled by the Workforce Investment Center:  Career Advisor  Firefighter  Police Officer  Maintenance Journeyman  Front Desk Clerk (Hotel)  Roofer  Shift Leader (Mining Industry)

10. The WorkKeys ® job profiling procedure is designed to systematically develop accurate job profiles through:  Task Analysis – which is used to select tasks most critical to a job,  Skill Analysis – which is used to identify the skills and skill levels required at the entry level and for effective performance on that job, and  Skill Ranking – which determines the WorkKeys skills that are the most critical to the job.

11. WorkKeys ® Assessments… The Workforce Investment Center has assessed over 270 customers using WorkKeys®. Both paper-based and computer-based assessments are used.  The majority of the individuals assessed are referred by schools and businesses.  One-Stop walk-ins are encouraged to assess.  A mobile computer lab is available for off-site use, including testing and training (through KeyTrain ®).

12. East Central Georgia Businesses Using WorkKeys®:  Shaw, Inc. (Fiber/Carpet)  Milsco (Tractor Seat Manufacturer)  City of Thomson, Georgia  Two-State (Construction and Roofing)  J.M. Huber (Mining)  Chardan (Sewing)  Dozier (Real Estate)  Temple (Particle Board Manufacturer)

13. OCCUPATIONAL SKILLS TRAINING… All college students who apply for WIA services are required to take the following WorkKeys® assessments: Reading for Information, Applied Mathematics, and Locating Information. The students assessed represent…

14.  Augusta Technical College  Augusta State University  Sandersville Technical College  Athens Technical College  Swainsboro Technical College  Ogeechee Technical College  Middle Georgia College  Georgia Southern University  East Georgia College  And many more…

15. ADULT BASIC EDUCATION… The Workforce Investment Center operates an Adult Education Lab. The Adult Education Instructor uses both WorkKeys® and KeyTrain® to help students increase their basic skill levels.

16. BOB FLANDERS City Administrator City of Thomson, GA Current Initiatives…

17. Many of the states surrounding Georgia, including South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee, have implemented the National Career Readiness Certificate. Georgia has not yet implemented the national certificate, but… NATIONAL CAREER READINESS CERTIFICATE

18. On Wednesday, August 23, 2006, in Augusta, GA, Governor Sonny Perdue and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Launched Georgia’s Work Ready Program…

19. TWO-FOLD APPROACH: 1) Create a Georgia Work Ready Certificate to be recognized by the business community to validate that a Georgian’s skill and knowledge level meet the requirements of a specific profiled job or occupation. 2) The Georgia Work Ready Community initiative will be county based and demonstrate a community’s commitment to a workforce that graduates high school students and is work ready certified.

20. BUTCH BASTON Business Resource Manager/Asst. Director (706) 595-8941 or 800-251-3882– office (706) 699-0634– cell bbaston@classicsouth.net

21. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!