Workforce Development programs connect motivated residents with training that enhances their employability and increases their ability to compete for higher paid positions. Step Up Savannah works collaboratively to support GED, workforce readiness and vocational training programs. This work is informed and propelled by the Workforce Action Team.
Why?
According to the Georgia Department of Labor, approximately 20 percent of the Chatham County workforce in 2007 did not have a high school diploma or a GED. For the 2006-07 school year, 68.6% of Savannah-Chatham Public School System high school students graduated on time. Failure to complete high school or obtain a GED keeps workers from obtaining higher wage jobs and impedes local economic development.
Meanwhile, 40 to 50 men and women are paroled each month to Savannah/Chatham County; even more are released from state prisons or jails that have served their time and are unsupervised. Many re-enter society without job skills or high school diplomas.
The challenge for local workforce development service providers is two-fold:
- To encourage and support low-wage workers in their efforts to access and complete quality training programs from higher education institutions and community organizations so they may advance to higher-wage jobs, and
- To understand the workforce needs of local employers to help tailor programs to meet the demand for an educated and skilled workforce.
For information please contact Stacy Stanton, director of Workforce Development, sstanton@stepupsavannah.org
