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Grants of up to $50,000 from statewide Worker Investment Act (WIA) funds were
available to businesses committed to increasing their productivity and remaining
competitive in the global economy. Interested companies worked with their local
Workforce Investment Board to develop and submit projects. The local board approved
the projects and submitted the project to the State office for funding. The local staff then
managed the projects and tracked the success of the workers selected for training.
Seven Georgia Workforce Investment Boards received grants during 2005 to work with
companies to design and implement projects. Workforce areas receiving grants included
Northwest Georgia, Cobb County, Atlanta Regional, West Central Georgia, Richmond-
Burke, East Central Georgia, and Southeast Georgia.
Most of the projects were in the manufacturing and health care sectors, and much of the
training was provided by local technical colleges. For example, a textile firm in
Southeast Georgia implemented technical training for one of its divisions using a multi-
media computer-based curriculum, also translated into Spanish for the company’s
Spanish-speaking workers. Also, the Northwest Georgia workforce board worked with
several hospitals to enhance supervisory and leadership skills for hospital workers
promoted to managerial positions, with the on-line curriculum developed by a local
technical college.
Examples of noteworthy results from the Incumbent Worker projects include: a large
percentage of workers completed training (100% completion in two projects); staff
attained promotions in most of the projects; and staff retention rates were high (99% and
98% in two projects).
The Georgia Incumbent Worker Initiative is an innovative model that has helped both
business and workers contribute to Georgia's economic prosperity.
December 4, 2006