Page 44 - Pickens NCG 2017

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

L ABOR FORCE

Thanks to the five institutions of higher
learning in the Pickens County area (which
includes neighboring Dawson, Cherokee, and
Gordon counties), employers find that Pickens
County’s labor force is educated and eager to
work. In 2015, 83.4% of workers age 18-65
were high school graduates or held a GED, and
had some college training or a full four-year
college degree. Furthermore, the county’s high
school graduation rate is 94.2%. Education
success results like these help encourage these
scholars to seek a college or technical school
education which better prepares them for
Pickens County jobs.
Chattahoochee Technical College offers
the WorkKeys Assessments for the National
Career Readiness Certificate, measuring the and became a Georgia Certified Work Ready LEADERSHIP TR AINING
real world skills of Georgia workers. These Community. At Pickens County High School,
are the same three assessment tests offered the Work Ready assessment was offered to The Pickens County Chamber of Commerce
previously through the Georgia Work Ready offers two opportunities for Leadership training.
Program, which ended in 2012, and the all seniors, with special focus given to those Youth Leadership Pickens: The purpose
resulting certificate shows employers that a job students on a path toward post-graduation of the Youth Leadership Pickens Program
candidate has the basic skills to be successful work. The effort paid off, as the county is to expose the youth of Pickens County
if hired. increased its high school graduation rate to leadership experiences by creating an
During the six-year span of the Georgia from 71.6 to 87.2 percent in 2013. Over the environment where they can make a positive
Work Ready Program, Pickens County duration of the Georgia Work Ready Program, impact on issues that affect teens. The program
embraced the effort to prepare its workforce Pickens County residents earned 1,619 Work is offered free to youth grades 11-12. The
for new opportunities in the coming decades Ready certificates. program offers the youth a chance to have fun

41
T he O fficial G uide & Membership D ir ec t or y • w w w .pick enschamber .com • (706) 692-5600