High Demand Career Initiative Leads Regions in Developing Sector Partnerships
Wednesday, October 26th, 2016
During the first two years of the High Demand Career Initiative, the primary focus of the initiative was to engage the private sector by collecting information about their present and future workforce needs. By hosting 17 public meetings throughout the state, which included more than 120 employers, the HDCI team heard a clear and consistent message regarding workforce needs in Georgia:
An effectively trained workforce is essential to the sustainability of Georgia businesses. – Georgia Employers
The data collected during the public meetings and through the HDCI Online Assessment is sufficient in describing the workforce needs of Georgia employers. This information gives us the content we need to provide the resources to implement solutions at the local and regional levels. The HDCI team is now working with regions throughout the state to build a framework for ongoing partnership and communication between public and private sectors in the form of HDCI Sector Partnerships.
HDCI Sector Partnerships are designed to support the development of regional sector partnerships that will work to understand and act on the needs of key regional industries. These sector partnerships engage businesses and inform the educational and workforce development efforts at the regional level. These regional sector partnerships will further build an infrastructure of communication and collaboration between the public and private sectors throughout the state.
A series of 12 HDCI Regional Sector Partnership Workshops are being held throughout the state and will serve as a continuation of the Sector Strategy Trainings, hosted by the WIOA Services Team of GDEcD’s Workforce division in March 2016.
A group of regional stakeholders participate in a brainstorming exercise during a HDCI Sector Partnership Workshop.
In August 2016, Deputy Commissioner of Workforce, Ben Hames, announced the launch of a $3MM HDCI Sector Partnership Grant program, in support of this phase of the initiative.
Deputy Commissioner Ben Hames announces the launch of HDCI Sector Partnership Grants during the 2016 Georgia WIOA Convening.
One of the main purposes of the regional workshops is to discuss the grant application process to ensure every region is fully equipped to submit a competitive application.
HDCI Sector Partnership Regional Workshop Schedule
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October 5: Augusta (Region 7) – Augusta Technical College
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October 6: LaGrange (Region 4) – West Georgia Technical College
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October 13: Valdosta (Region 11) – Valdosta State University
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October 14: Thomasville (Region 10) – Southern Regional Technical College
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October 26: Columbus (Region 8) – Columbus Technical College
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October 28: Dalton (Region 1) – Dalton State College
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November 1: Athens (Region 5) – Athens Technical College
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November 3: Gainesville (Region 2) – Lanier Technical College
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November 10: Savannah (Region 12) – Armstrong State University
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November 15: Macon (Region 6) – Middle Georgia State University
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November 16: Dublin (Region 9) – Oconee Fall Line Technical College
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November 18: Metro Atlanta (Region 3) – Atlanta Technical College
A comprehensive outline of this work can be found within the HDCI Sector Partnership Executive Summary. Sector partnerships, which are required by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), are a proven strategy to meet the workforce needs of key regional industries.
Click Hereto register for an upcoming HDCI Sector Partnership WorkShop. For more information on HDCI, contact HDCI Program Manager Jamie Jordan or visit Georgia.org/HDCI.
