Helping Communities Shine

Whether researching and implementing ways to shape a community's economic development plan or partnering to create ways to put people to work, CREC connects researchers and policymakers with:

• Data training
• Custom portfolios that aid regional competitiveness

Project Profile

Georgia Workready Regions

Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Workforce Division
Start Date: Feb 2008 — End Date: Oct 2009

The Council for Community & Economic Research (C2ER) and the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) has conducted an in-depth economic and workforce analysis for sixteen regions of Georgia designed to help local leaders better understand their workforce demand and supply.

The goal of the analysis was to identify the characteristics of those currently working in the targeted industry as well as the skills for high demand occupations as well as identify the inventory of postsecondary education programs available to help meet those needs. In addition to a quantitative analysis, the team conducted working sessions with regional leaders to validate findings and instruct them on how to use the information in their planning and implementation activities. C2ER and CREC has also worked with each of these regions to develop strategic plans to help guide their workforce development efforts.

About the Client

Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Workforce Division

The Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Workforce Division, previously known as the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development, was created in August 2006 to administer the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds under the leadership of the State Workforce Development Board (SWDB), and ultimately to improve the quality of job training and marketability of Georgia’s workforce for the economic growth of the state.