The members of the Workforce Action Team will collaborate to find solutions to improve the accessibility, efficiency, and effectiveness of workforce development services that help move people toward economic self-sufficiency through a continuum of employability-enhancing, results-based services that produce skilled workers needed by local employers.

Why?

According to the Georgia Department of Labor, approximately 20 percent of the Chatham County workforce in 2007 did not have a high school diploma or a GED. For the 2006-07 school year, 68.6% of Savannah-Chatham Public School System high school students graduated on time. Failure to complete high school or obtain a GED keeps workers from obtaining higher wage jobs and impedes local economic development. While jobs in education and health services are projected to increase over the next few years, jobs in these fields require significant investment in higher education.  For those living in poverty, occupational training programs and post-secondary education opportunities are very often difficult to access. Workforce Action Team members are working to find solutions to address accessibility issues.   

Meanwhile, 40 to 50 men and women are paroled each month to Savannah/Chatham County; more are released from state prisons or jails that have served their time and are unsupervised. Many re-enter society without job skills or high school diplomas, and there are few career/skill development programs specifically tailored to this population.

Savannah is fortunate to have a diverse economy with several employment sectors. 

These include: professional and business sectors, leisure and hospitality, education and health, retail, and manufacturing. However, from 1998-2003, the number of manufacturing jobs decreased by more than 3,000 according to the Department of Labor while accommodations and food services has increased by almost 12 percent.  

The challenge for local workforce development service providers is two-fold: 

• To encourage and support low-wage workers in their efforts to invest in higher education and/or the development of job skills so they may advance to more competitive higher-wage jobs, and
• To understand the workforce needs of local employers to help tailor programs to meet the demand for an educated and skilled workforce.