Cherokee County government employees, from left, Geoff Morton, director of public works; Steven McClure, director of human resources; and Mike Miller of the IT department take the Georgia Work Ready assessment. In an effort to show business that they have a capable work force, the government is pursuing Georgia Work Ready certification for Cherokee County. To achieve the certification, the county government needs to administer the assessment to different specific groups of people.
Dr. Jackie McMorris, community services director for the county government, said Cherokee is about "60 percent" of the way to earning the certification.
Georgia Work Ready was started in 2006 by Gov. Sonny Perdue and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce to improve the job training and marketability of Georgia's workforce and drive future economic development.
Earning the certification means the county has the talented workforce that businesses demand and the ability to drive growth.
"We are very optimistic. We don't think we will have a problem reaching the goal," Dr. McMorris said about achieving certification by June.
The work ready assessment measures an individual's skill in applied mathematics, reading for information and locating information as well as work-related attitudes and behaviors. For locations where the test is available, see the Web site at www.gaworkready.org.
To achieve work ready certification, the county must reach certain benchmarks on the number of people employed in the private sector, by the government, unemployed, high school graduates, those with a general equivalency diploma and college graduates to take the assessment.
Cherokee has reached its benchmark for people employed in the private sector, by the government and who have a high school diploma.
Through January, 239 unemployed people living in Cherokee had taken the assessment, which is short of the 558 needed. Only six people with a GED had taken the assessment, short of the 45 needed. The county also had 30 college graduates take the assessment, short of the 47 needed.
Jonathan Warner, director of economic development for Chattahoochee Technical College, is working with the county government and the state Department of Labor to meet the remaining benchmarks.
"We are getting the word out regarding the benefits of the program to these people," he said. "We want to showcase our community and show that we have a workforce that is trained, educated and ready to work."
Cherokee Families of Cherokee United in Service is also encouraging people in its Cherokee Youth Works program to take the assessment. The program provides GED preparation, jobs and life skills and other resources to teens and young adults.
"It gives them an edge over other youth competing for the same jobs," Sonia Carruthers, executive director of FOCUS, said of earning the certification.
Buzz Ahrens, chairman of the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners, said the assessment also gives employers a basic reference point for an individual's skill points.
"More and more employers are requiring this," he said.
For information about the Georgia Work Ready program, call (404) 463-5030.
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