On Thursday, August 24th, MAX held its second MAX Academy of the year to assist workforce practitioners in learning about the latest trends and what they mean for our efforts to serve both the job seeker and employer through workforce development. Nearly 40 workforce partners convened to explore best practices and consider how we can replicate these practices throughout our region and state.
This MAX Academy was powered by the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). Special thanks to TCSG’s Brandon Ona, Business Services Director, Damon Weller, Executive Director, Workforce Data and Information, and Joshua Geyer, LMI Specialist, for their partnership in planning our program on Thursday and also sharing their insights during our program. And special thanks to Phyllis Jackson, Adult/Dislocated Worker Program Administrator, WorkSource Atlanta Regional for sharing insights on what it means to be on the Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL) administered through TCSG.
Also joining our MAX Academy, Moses Delaney, Campus Director, Heavy Equipment Colleges of America, and Avenelle Thomas, Executive Director, Education & Career Resources of Georgia – both representing providers on the ETPL known for achieving high-performing outcomes with those they serve – shared their organization’s best practices and lessons learned. Special thanks to Delaney and Thomas for their efforts to help fellow providers learn from their experiences.
And special thanks also to Cynthia Holland and Chris Morgan with Chattahoochee Technical College for hosting us at their Marietta campus.
Themes explored during this MAX Academy included:
- Improving labor force participation is an ongoing opportunity.
- Job openings are significantly outpacing the number of unemployed people in the state.
- Georgia remains a top destination for manufacturing and three of the recent top five job announcements are related to Clean Energy or Electric Vehicles.
- Healthcare is the most popular area of training and continues to account for high demand occupations.
- Providers on the state’s Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL) work to provide training for occupations that are in-demand.
- High performing providers are acutely aware of student needs, how to address them, and how to work closely with each student on a successful outcome.
Some best practices for achieving student outcomes through training programs shared by Delaney and Thomas included but are not limited to:
- Work to address a student’s critical needs (housing, transportation, mental health, etc.) to help them successfully participate in and complete a program and be ready for placement.
- Understand the power of “word of mouth” and referrals from past participants and participant families.
- Offer flexible training schedule options and instruction options.
- Maintain strong relationships with students during and post-program completion.
- Create a “sense of community” among program students and alumni.
Our MAX Academy series is led by MAX board member Dr. Ray Perren, Deputy Commissioner with the TCSG, in partnership with MAX Provider Council chair Dana Inman, President & CEO with the Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency. We are truly grateful for their leadership and guidance.
ABOUT THE MAX ACADEMY
Through the MAX Academy, MAX offers professional development and capacity building training workshops to help workforce development professionals develop new skills, learn best practices, connect to resources, and engage in peer-to-peer learning. MAX Academy workshops are all about transferring how-to ideas and knowledge for addressing the most challenging issues faced by workforce developers as they seek to serve the job seeker and employer.