Thurmond stresses educational, training opportunities

Charles Oliver

Men held three-fourths of the 8 million jobs lost in the United States during the current recession, Georgia labor commissioner Michael Thurmond said here Tuesday.

Georgia has lost almost 500,000 jobs, Thurmond said, and 58 percent of those who are unemployed are men.

“The largest group receiving unemployment benefits in Georgia are white men,” Thurmond told the Dalton Rotary Club on Tuesday. “The challenge is that as men become unemployed, they are not enrolling in our technical colleges or our wonderful state colleges such as Dalton State College. They are not even enrolling in our training programs at the Georgia Department of Labor.”

Thurmond said men account for just 30 percent of those enrolled in these schools and training programs. He said such educational opportunities are vital to those seeking employment. Thurmond said he expects the economy will come back, and declining numbers of layoffs indicate the bottom may be near.

Thurmond urged business and political leaders to make citizens aware of the educational and training opportunities that are out there and to make them aware of programs such as the Hope Grant, which funds tuition and some other fees at the state’s technical colleges.

“Everybody knows about the Hope Scholarship. I don’t think everyone knows about the Hope Grant,” he said.

Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commerce president Brian Anderson said after Thurmond’s speech that business leaders, educators and political leaders are emphasizing training by pushing to have Whitfield County declared a “work ready” community.

Anderson said having the work ready certificate shows employers that a worker has the skills they look for. He said that even if a worker doesn’t pass the test on the first try, the test can show where weaknesses are so the person can start to look for the training needed.

“If you are unemployed, you can also receive an incentive from the state (to take the test),” Anderson said. “It’s up to $100 for taking the assessment and another $100 if you earn a gold or platinum certificate.”

Thurmond praised Whitfield County leaders for trying to find ways to boost economic growth and jobs locally. At the urging of local leaders, the General Assembly formed the Dalton-Whitfield Joint Development Authority five years ago to spearhead the area’s economic development. Since then the JDA has developed a tax incentives policy and helped bring Belgian floorcovering maker IVC to the area, as well as provided incentives for some firms that were already in the area to expand their facilities.

“Take control of your own economic destiny. Good things don’t always happen in Atlanta. They happen at the local level when people come together. That’s what I’m seeing in Dalton,” he said.

For more information on the Hope Grant, go to www.gacollege411.org/default.aspx.

The Georgia Department of Labor will host the Georgia Jobs Summit on Monday in Atlanta. The theme is Shaping Georgia’s Economic Destiny. The summit will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center at 800 Spring St. It is open to the public at no charge. Those planning to attend should RSVP to gaworks@dol.state.ga.us or call 1-877-WORKS09 (1-877-967-5709). Those contacts can also be used for more information, as can the DOL’s Web site at www.dol.state.ga.us.