North Georgia Technical College recently hosted a regional workforce tour with 31 business and industry leaders from around North Georgia. Representatives from American Woodmark, ASI, Nifco/KTW, Ross Controls, TenCate, Pharma-Tech Inc., Ethicon, Fenner-Dunlop, Franklin and Stephens County Schools, Stephens Co. Development Authority and WorkSource Georgia Mountains toured Duke Energy’s Oconee Nuclear Power Station and Borg-Warner’s manufacturing facility in Oconee County, South Carolina.
Plant leaders from Duke Energy and Borg-Warner addressed the group about issues regarding workforce development, recruitment and retention for new and existing employees and explained their approach to training as it relates to the critical skills gap and continuous training practices. The group also discussed career paths in manufacturing.
“Our experience and data show a workforce is not local, but regional,” says NGTC Contract Training Director Tim Bennett. “It is very common for someone to live in one county, while training or working in another county or even another state. It was our goal to provide an opportunity for local employers and educational leaders to connect with employers from a broader regional footprint to exchange mutual best practices and challenges with the modern workforce.”
The North Georgia Technical College Economic Development Department is the business and industry outreach division of the college that delivers community-based credit, non-credit, customized training and continuing education services. For more information, call 706-754-7715.
Pictured above, front row, from left, Lakie Meeks, Cassandra Wilkins, Leslie Foster, Shannon Munro, Lisa Addison, Jonathan Hill, Angel Vazquez and Elizabeth Jones. Middle Row, from left, Bryon Whitworth, Keith Powell, Jan Howell, Brisco Harward, Tim Martin, Mark Ivester and Beth McDonald. Back Row, from left, Tim Bennett, Wayne Randall, Kenny Floyd, Brian Caston, Joe Moore, Ronnie Ayers, Richard Funderburk, Ryan Dodd, Randall Adams, Mike Beecher, John Phillips, Renee Leard, Vance Ledbetter, Ken Smith, Sean Dubois, Bryan Dorsey.
