Business & Tech

Douglas County Certified Work Ready

The designation signifies that the Douglas County community is making strides and working with its business, education, workforce and economic development.

By Sara Ray,

The Douglas County Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the , and will be celebrating the designation of Douglas County as a Certified Work Ready Community with a ribbon cutting ceremony today at 5 p.m. The designation signifies that the Douglas County community is making strides and working with its business, education, workforce and economic development leaders to set and meet common goals that will give the county an economic edge when companies are looking for a place to locate.

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal announced Douglas County’s certification late last year. To receive certification, a county must present a viable plan to meet all of the criteria within three years. It also shows established businesses that they will continue to have a strong pipeline of skilled workers in the future. Local companies, and DeNyse Signs are Work Ready businesses that screen applicants and give priority in the application process for applicants who have completed the Work Ready Test.

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Upon receiving designation, the Chamber‘s Workforce Development Committee applied for a work ready grant outlined to help achieve goals including, improving the high school graduation rate, reduce absenteeism, improve SAT/ACT scores for test takers and increase the percentage of students who pass the Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) end-of-pathways assessments. The Chamber received word that the $10,000 grant has been awarded and will begin working with the Douglas County School System and West Georgia Technical College in the fall to disperse funding.

“This grant will allow us to enhance the opportunities we have in place for our students to graduate from high school with future goals in mind for college and/or a career," said Douglas County Superintendent Dr. Gordon Pritz.  "The funds will be used to help our students see the relevance of what they are learning in the classroom by supporting activities like job shadowing, career-related field trips, and mentoring.  Our continued partnerships with the business community through the Douglas County Chamber of Commerce and Partners in Education will strengthen as we move toward the goal of creating a Certified Work Ready Community that includes graduates from our system."

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While this grant is the stepping stone in a long term plan to support and promote the community, leaders across the county have taken notice of this achievement. “The Chamber’s pursuit of the Work Ready Grant is another example of our dedication to do whatever it takes to bring business and industry to our County. We must be prepared with a workforce that is educated and skilled and offer an environment that is inviting to companies who are looking to locate or relocate to Douglas County,” said County Commission Chairman Tom Worthan.

City of Douglasville Mayor Harvey Persons stated, “We are honored to be a recipient of this Work Ready Grant. It endorses the combined efforts of our city and county and establishes goals toward a fully developed workforce and work ready community.”

Signs will be located throughout the community showing that Douglas County is a Certified Work Ready Community.  DC Chamber President & CEO Kali Boatright commented, “When we started this initiative several years ago, one of the highlights was working collaboratively with the city, county and school district to achieve the Work Ready designation. Now that we have the designation, it only made sense to apply for a grant to give back to our community as well. It took everyone working together for the same goal to be successful, and we are glad the Chamber could play a leadership role.”  The ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at a sign which is located on Douglas Blvd in front of today at 5 p.m.


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