WorkSource Georgia Mountains Sector Partnership Projects
In 2014, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal launched the High Demand Career Initiative (HDCI) to hear directly from businesses about their training and workforce development needs. The information gathered in 2014 and 2015 described the workforce needs of Georgia employers at a state level but was not detailed enough for each region to develop and implement customized solutions. As a result, the next step was to support the development of regional sector partnerships that would work to understand and act on the needs of key regional industries.
With HDCI funding support, WorkSource Georgia Mountains partnered with Maher & Maher (now part of AIR) in November 2017 to help the region develop and implement the Georgia Mountains Advanced and Diversified Manufacturing Sector Partnership (the Manufacturing Partnership).
The Advanced and Diversified Manufacturing Partnership
To help sustain and accelerate the implementation of regional talent pipeline solutions, as well as improve and streamline integrated business services activity in the region, AIR created the Advanced and Diversified Manufacturing Partnership.
Partnership Goal
Align advanced and diversified manufacturing workforce and education programming with the needs of employers to address skills gaps for critical industry occupations through an industry-led partnership that could be sustained over time and replicated in other industries.
To address regional manufacturing needs, AIR:
- Assessed current and potential regional workforce initiatives focused on addressing the regional manufacturing pipeline and developed tools to establish a sector-driven approach in the Georgia Mountains Region.
- Provided industry analysis and sector strategy expertise to identify with the sector partnership key roles and talent management challenges and devise regional solutions.
- Managed strategic implementation of the sector partnership, its efforts, and partner engagements, including workgroups focused on manufacturing training and apprenticeship programs, increasing work-based learning, promoting manufacturing careers and opportunities, and developing awareness and programming focused on employability skills.
This manufacturing partnership is still active and addressing manufacturing pipeline needs across the region today.
AIR also facilitated the creation of a regional integrated business services framework, assessment, and training to improve multi-partner business services delivery to the region’s employer customers, and provided a gap analysis and recommendations report focused on launching a future sector partnership to address growing regional healthcare industry talent needs.
