Page 32 - Clayton Newcomers Guide 2022

Partnerships Focus on

Workforce Development

The Clayton County Development Authority, Clayton County Public Schools, Atlanta Technical College, and
Clayton State University work together to develop the county’s future workforce.
By Michael Hall
E conomic developers know and retention, and outreach. Many people County schools, where the Clayton
Much of that effort starts in the Clayton
well that to attract job-creating
looked at it as the proverbial glass-half-
companies to their communities,
County College and Career Academy is in
empty situation, Vincent said.
they first must have people who
“We looked at it as if our glass was full
are well trained and ready to work. That to the top,” Vincent said. development with an eye toward producing
high school graduates who are ready to go
can be a challenging goal, especially when Pandemic closures meant Clayton to work the very next day.
a pandemic pushed unemployment to County had a skilled labor force ready
higher than 13 percent. to get back to work, and together the
Clayton County was in that position community capitalized on it, he said.
recently. Instead of wallowing in the face of “We had to take a really critical look at
those challenges, Clayton County is taking things,” Vincent said.
great strides to make an already attractive
location for companies even more so, Job fairs, aggressive outreach and
through programs that target youth and get marketing, and leveraging relationships
them thinking about their futures and what with local and prospective businesses
kinds of jobs are interesting to them. meant Clayton County bounced back
Larry Vincent, Executive Director quickly. Now that things are trending in the
of the Clayton County Development right direction in 2022, Vincent said the
Authority, said a group effort locally was Development Authority and its partners are
able to get the unemployment rate down focusing on developing the workforce and Larry Vincent
quickly, closer to 3 percent, by focusing entrepreneurs in areas of the county where Executive Director of the
on business recruiting, redevelopment people are still looking for work. Clayton County Development Authority

30 WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Clayton County Chamber of Commerce Community Guide