August 3, 2011 - The Governor’s Office of Workforce Development will host The Governor’s Workforce Development Town Hall on Soft Skills in Education at Albany Technical College on Wednesday, August 10, 2011, from 6pm to 8pm. This will be a series of 31 public town hall meetings to allow Georgians, most importantly our students, parents, business leaders, and Georgia’s professional educators, to be a part of the establishment of a statewide certification in soft skills such as punctuality, ability to learn, appropriate business attire, and ability to work as a team for Georgia’s schools.
Governor Deal signed House Bill 186 into law on May 13, 2011. This important legislation authorizes The Governor’s Office of Workforce Development to establish certification in soft skills such as punctuality, ability to learn, appropriate business attire, and ability to work as a team.
This certification will complement the current assessment system utilized in Georgia to assess knowledge in applied math, reading for information, and locating information. Upon graduation, student would have both a diploma and certification in soft skills and work readiness.
These meetings will unite Georgia as we work to establish an effective set of soft skills to ensure that our emerging workforce is prepared to achieve success in the workplace.
Executive Director Melvin Everson of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development will host the panel on stage to engage with the public on this important initiative.
Panel members will include: representatives from the Department of Education, Albany Technical College, The Georgia Department of Labor, the Georgia Department of Economic Development, The Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia PTA, The local Chamber of Commerce, local business owners, the local Superintendent of Schools, The local School Board Chair, the local Mayor, the chair of the County Commission, the state Senator, and the state Representative.
“The number one priority of my Administration is to create jobs for Georgia. These important Town Halls will establish a synergy for our great educational system to partner with our business community to prepare Georgia students to enter the workforce with those vital social skills necessary in the 21st Century workplace,” said Governor Deal.
All Town Halls begin at 6:30pm and each will last 1.5 hours. The format will include a welcome by our host, an orientation presentation by Director Melvin Everson and a presentation by the Department of Education on the importance of soft skills. Following the presentation Director Everson will moderate questions and comments from the audience for the panel.
Each session will be videotaped and hosted on The Governor’s Office of Workforce Development social media sites. You will be provided the links to host meetings on your social media sites.
For more information, contact Jeffrey Breedlove at 404.207.0860 or email jbreedlove@georgia.gov.