On Wednesday, November 29th, more than 50 workforce developers joined the MAX Academy, held at Atlanta Technical College, to do a deep dive into the resources available through the public workforce system to help job seekers. This was the first MAX Academy to conduct a comprehensive exploration of state resources since 2020. Attendees heard leaders representing the Technical College System of Georgia – Office of Workforce Development, Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Georgia Department of Labor, Georgia Department of Human Resources, and Georgia Department of Education.
Georgia Department of Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson joined MAX to provide a special keynote luncheon address on the state of the workforce in Georgia and the key challenges we face. The Commissioner discussed the rising challenges in meeting the needs that employers have for an available and ready workforce in our state – in the face of unprecedented workforce demands we’re seeing as a result of our economic development successes in the EV industry and beyond – and the challenges we continually face in engaging our untapped workforce talent to address these needs. And he discussed how the Georgia Department of Labor is working with partners to address these challenges.
The sessions focused on the following topics:
- WorkSource Georgia, WIOA, and Wagner-Peyser
- Vocational Rehabilitation Services
- SNAP Employment & Training
- Medicaid
- TANF
- Career Pathways
- Work-Based Learning
Attendees were treated to a detailed walk-through on the latest developments with these programs in terms of eligibility, policy and program requirements, new opportunities, and how best to access these resources. The November MAX Academy was the third Academy held in 2023. The earlier academies focused on skills-based hiring practices and best practices in workforce attraction, retention, and outcomes. Click here to learn more about this MAX Academy.
Special thanks to board member Dr. Ray Perren, Deputy Commissioner, Technical College System of Georgia, and MAX Provider Council Chair Dana Inman, President & CEO with the Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency for their leadership and guidance of our MAX Academy series this year.
ABOUT THE MAX ACADEMY
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.
The MAX Academy offers professional development and capacity building training workshops to help workforce development professionals develop new skills, learn best practices, and engage in peer-to-peer learning.