One of the most critical challenges facing companies today is the ability to recruit, train and retain a well-educated labor pool. Skilled talent and access to advanced research and development remain
key building blocks that continue to support competitive businesses.
Georgia’s diverse talent and cutting-edge research and development resources are attracting global companies to re-locate and expand in the state. This is why 17 Fortune 500 companies, such as The Home Depot, The Coca-Cola Company, NCR and UPS call Georgia home. Georgia’s workforce training programs are continuously top ranked in the U.S., including a No. 1 ranking by CNBC. A number of factors continue to foster an environment of highly-skilled expertise, leading research and scientific discovery.
Workforce Development
Georgia Quick Start is the premier partner for developing and delivering skilled talent. Quick Start provides free, comprehensive workforce solutions for new and expanding companies in Georgia. In FY
2013, Quick Start helped create and retain more than 12,000 jobs with 133 training programs.
For more than 40 years, Quick Start has supported industries by delivering training via the classroom, mobile labs or on the plant floor. Quick Start delivers customized training in a variety of areas
such as quality control, FDA regulatory compliance, OSHA standards, for a wide range of industry sectors, including advanced manufacturing, biotechnology and pharmaceutical expertise to customize
training.
In March, the Georgia Bioscience Training Center groundbreaking was held. This Center is the first state-sponsored facility to be solely dedicated to preparing the future of the bioscience and
biomanufacturing talent in Georgia. The Center will be operated by Quick Start and will contain state-of-the-art labs, classrooms and equipment to meet the training needs of Baxter, as well as future
biotech companies investing and creating jobs in Georgia.
Critical Partnerships
In April 2014, Governor Nathan Deal announced the creation of the Governor’s High Demand Career Initiative to bring together the leadership of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), the University System of Georgia, the Technical College System of Georgia and key business leaders across the state. With decision makers from each of these entities at one table, the education sector will obtain a clearer picture of what Georgia businesses need and pair them with existing assets and/or collectively tackle any gaps.
Kickoff meetings in Atlanta, Dalton and Statesboro have already taken place. The HDCI will continue with ten more meetings across Georgia, focusing on specific sectors including: Agriculture, Film, Information Technology Aerospace, Healthcare, Auto manufacturing, Logistics and Military.
In addition to the High Demand Career Initiative, leading global companies in Georgia, such as KIA, Southwire and Decostar Industries, are working with community colleges and high schools in the region to create apprenticeships and study programs that encourage the training and recruitment of quality talent.
The Atlanta Clinical and Translational Science Institute (ACTSI) is a partnership among Emory University, the Morehouse School of Medicine and Georgia Tech. ACTSI has become an inter-institutional magnet for research projects, collaborative partnership and scientific discovery.
The Georgia Institute of Technology’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) provides information technology leadership and support partnerships with academic and business units, meeting the unique
needs of a leading research university.
Education and Research
Georgia is an educational leader, establishing the first merit-based state scholarship program in the U.S. more than 20 years ago. The HOPE scholarship program is one of the largest in the nation. Since it
began, HOPE has provided $7.2 billion in scholarships and grants for a million and a half students in Georgia’s colleges, technical colleges and universities.
Georgia breeds innovative talent from top-ranked universities. With more than 78,000 degrees and certificates are awarded by Georgia universities and colleges each year, the university system is one of
the nation’s largest, preparing graduates with the right skills to support companies’ unique needs. For graduate degrees, Georgia Tech’s Industrial and Biomedical/Bioengineering degrees rank top five in the nation.
Emory University, one of the nation’s leading private research universities and one of the fastest-growing universities in the U.S., ranks in the top 20 U.S. undergraduate schools, with the Georgia
Institute of Technology and University of Georgia in the top 30 undergraduate schools. Emory’s Technology Transfer Office has helped to support more than 1,700 inventions and nearly 1,300 U.S. patent applications.
Georgia Techs’ Office of Information Technology (OIT) provides information technology leadership and support, working in partnership with academic and business units to meet the unique needs of a leading esearch university. OIT serves as the primary source of enterprise-wide information technology and telecommunications services in support of students, faculty, staff, and researchers
A One-Stop Shop for Business
Access to a diverse workforce and modern research is vital to company success across the globe. Individuals who represent the state, communities and existing industries continue to help attract companies, support existing company growth and help bring in more jobs and investment to Georgia. With access to the brightest minds in the industry and support from seamless partnerships among the public and private sector, along with many other pro-business resources, Georgia is well equipped to support market-leading companies who are looking to thrive and grow. It’s no wonder Georgia is the No. 1 most competitive state in the U.S. For more information, visit Georgia.org.
