Go Build Georgia: Preparing Students for Careers in the Skilled Trades

An update from Deputy Commissioner Ben Hames

The Program

Did you know that almost half of America's existing workforce is only 10-15 years away from retirement? Our Go Build Georgia program exposes youth, educators and administrators to the benefits of careers in the skilled trades. Through this program, we are aiming to create a pipeline of future workers that are trained with the skills necessary to meet the demands of Georgia's workforce. As we transition into a new year, it's important to take a look back at some major milestones and future goals for Go Build Georgia.

Outreach: Go Build Georgia serves as the kickoff sponsor for GPB High School Football

Recently, we established a valuable partnership with the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) and Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) to market Go Build Georgia in 30 second ads promoting careers in the skilled trades. These ads, produced by GPB and sponsored by TCSG and the Go Build Georgia Foundation, aired during the television broadcast of the GPB High School Football games during the fall 2014 season.

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Along with being featured in 30 second ads during high school football games, Go Build Georgia also served as a Kickoff Sponsor during the fall 2014 season. As the kickoff sponsor, our logo and website were displayed during the television broadcasts at the start of the game and during halftime. Our message reached approximately 1.5 million as part of this outreach! This partnership was a major win for our program.

Since high school students are our target audience - members of our team were positioned throughout high school football stadiums across the state to distribute information about the program including the Go Build Georgia Team Manual.

GBG Teams Across the State

Moving forward, we will continue to expand our outreach to students across the state. We established a new system to organize and share our message. Our Go Build Georgia Teams are the grassroots arm of this program. The teams are composed of students, teachers, counselors, and industry leaders. Teams provide members with direct access to career opportunities in the skilled trades. Currently, we have more than 290 Go Build Georgia teams housed in high schools and other educational facilities throughout the state.

The Future of Go Build Georgia

By 2020, 3.5 million additional positions are expected to be created in the U.S., with high growth in the manufacturing industry. In response to this projected growth, the Workforce division aims to expand the Go Build Georgia message by creating new teams and strengthening existing teams throughout the state.

Additionally, we will continue our marketing and communication outreach with the support of the Go Build Georgia Foundation and partnering agencies.

As you can see - over past several months our staff has been busy promoting the program to students in regions across the state and partnering with influential organizations that support our mission. I encourage everyone to visit www.gobuildgeorgia.com to learn more about the in-demand and rewarding careers in the skilled trades.