Georgia Piedmont Technical College’s main campus is based in Clarkston, Georgia, a small city with the reputation as having the most diverse square mile in the U.S. due to the refugees, immigrants, and naturalized citizens who call the community home. As a result, GPTC is in a unique position to serve as a critical bridge between these new neighbors and economic opportunity.
On Friday, September 24th, Mary Baxter, Instructional Coordinator – Adult Education, joined MAX to discuss the highly impactful work that she and her colleagues have undertaken to ensure that those served through GPTC are able to overcome their barriers and attain jobs in high demand fields – benefitting both the job seekers as well as the employers who are in desperate need for the talent they offer. In addition to language and cultural barriers, some of those emigrating to our country often face challenges with respect to meeting professional licensing requirements and translating their credentials to enable them to serve in occupations that they have already had training in. Others need new training, ranging from basic to advanced, to participate in the local economy.
Baxter reviewed a three-prong approach that begins with the traditional adult education services GED/HiSET and English as a Second Language training and continues with an Academic Bridge approach that helps individuals transition into a high demand career pathway such as cybersecurity or health care, for example. Known as the Ready, Step, Leap! program, she lays the case for why this program is so effective and how it can be scalable across the state.
Special thanks to MAX Data Council Chair Marion Phillips, Research Supervisor with Georgia Power, for hosting the session, and, to MAX board member and lead for MAX Minutes programming Daniela Perry, Vice President of the Georgia Chamber, for arranging for the session and moderating the discussion.
RECORDING OF WEBINAR
Many timely insights were shared during the MAX Minutes webinar. A recording of the full session is available for MAX members.
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ABOUT MAX MINUTES
Launched in 2014, the mission of MAX is to advance economic competitiveness in the Atlanta region by strengthening connections, collaborations, and practices among workforce developers and organizations engaged in workforce development.
Through our webinar series, MAX Minutes, MAX seeks to bring timely insights to providers, intermediaries, and other partners in workforce. MAX Minutes features talks by key experts in the Atlanta region and beyond on important workforce matters.