ATLANTA- Yesterday state Representative Amy Carter (D-Valdosta) congratulated Lowndes County for being named one of the six new Certified Work Ready Communities in Georgia. This designation shows that Lowndes County has the skilled workforce that business demands and the educational infrastructure to drive economic growth and prosperity.
“As a career training teacher at Lowndes High School, I am especially proud of this monumental achievement,” said Rep. Carter. “Over the last several years I have seen first hand the efforts Lowndes County has put into creating a skilled work force that will encourage businesses to set up shop here. The Certified Work Ready Community designation is proof that these efforts have succeeded and will help bring jobs and further economic development to our community.”
Representative Carter is the Diversified Cooperative Training Coordinator at Lowndes High School. Her class focuses on job acquisition skills, taxes, banking, credit, and other real world lessons necessary to be successful in our modern world.
To earn the Certified Work Ready Community designation, a county must demonstrate a commitment to improving public high school graduation rates through a measurable increase, and show a specified percentage of the available and current workforce have obtained Work Ready Certificates. The initiative is based on skills assessment and certification for job seekers and a job profiling system.
Lowndes County has 1,235 Work Ready Certificates earned and has increased its public high school graduation rate from 66.3 percent to 76.9 percent.
Now that Lowndes County has achieved its Certified Work Ready Community goals, it will receive a $10,000 grant so that it can maintain its status. This can be accomplished by ensuring a small percent of their workforce continue to earn Work Ready Certificates, engage local businesses to use Work Ready, and sustain graduation rates above 75 percent.
Lowndes County’s Work Ready Community Team will receive a two-year membership to its chamber of commerce, and a budget for other Work Ready outreach materials.
For more information on the Work Ready initiative, visit www.gaworkready.org.
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Representative Amy Carter represents the citizens of District 175, which includes portions of Lowndes County. She was elected into the House of Representatives in 2006, and currently serves on the Appropriations, Children & Youth, Education, and Higher Education Committees.