James Nov-Dec 2023 web - Flipbook - Page 63
etween 2019 and 2022, Georgia’s economy expanded by
6 percent. In 2022, personal
incomes increased by 3.5 percent,
outpacing the national rate of 2.4
percent. The state unemployment
rate— as high as 12.3 percent in April
2020— has since returned to below
pre-pandemic levels. While these data
points suggest Georgia has weathered the turbulence brought by the
pandemic, three underlying trends
indicate trouble ahead:
Businesses responded to pandemic pressures by accelerating
investments in automation and artificial intelligence. These investments
endanger the job prospects and
earning potential of the two million
workers in Georgia who do not have
a post-secondary credential.
Nearly 30 percent of Georgia’s
able-bodied adults— about 3.2 million individuals— are not working.
The lack of affordable housing, transportation and childcare contribute to
depressed workforce participation.
Employers, especially for STEM
and technical roles, currently are
struggling to find workers to fill their
open positions.
and occupational licenses— that
provide a livable wage. To focus
efforts, the Georgia Partnership has
set a 10-year post-secondary attainment goal of 65 percent. We call this
goal our North Star.
The Georgia Partnership created
the EdQuest Georgia State Policy
Plan to provide concrete recommendations on how to start the journey
toward the North Star. One of the
eight priorities outlined in the plan
is corporate and civic involvement.
Elevating corporate investments in
education and economic development efforts was intentional, as the
To address many of these
Georgia Partnership has identified
underlying trends, the Georgia
numerous efforts of industry repPartnership convened stakeholdresentatives broadening employee
ers— policymakers, nonprofit and
pipelines through strategic partnercommunity leaders, and corporate
ships with school district, post-secpartners— to identify how to improve post-secondary and workforce ondary, and workforce partners. This
article presents three ways that the
readiness. This work culminated
corporate community can contribute
in the release of EdQuest Georgia
to education and economic develop2023, a multifaceted strategy dement efforts in Georgia.
signed to strengthen the state’s
education and workforce systems.
LOCAL PATHWAY PROGR AM
Particularly, the strategy focuses on
While state efforts to increase
increasing the percentage of adults
the number of Georgians with
with post-secondary credentials—
degrees, certificates, certifications,
MORE
MOR
THAN
TH AN
TO EDUCATION SINCE INCEPTION
TION
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