October 2022
October 15, 2022 – The US Chamber of Commerce Foundation certifies the completion of the Talent Pipeline Managment Academy by Shelley Logan, Workforce Strategies Group LLC. Strategies completed included Employer Collaboration, Critical Job Demand, Align Job Requirements, Talent Supply Analyzation, Building Talent Supply Chains, and Resiliency Planning.
October 2022
ASI-Southeast, the number one manufacturer of bathroom partitions in the world, hosted a tour for the Region 2 MFG Sector Employer Partnership in Stephens County. ASI has 400 employees in Georgia and 105 employees located at this Southeast HQ. They prioritize the Workforce Development Pipeline by employing 11 Work Based Learning (WBL) students, six apprentices, and offer their team members 40 hours each of Employee Development Training per year. These solutions answer problems like developing team member character, staffing second shift, and reducing the skills gap specifically in CNC, Robotics, and Maintenance. Manufacturing Manager Stephen Wallace shared his beliefs about the ASI team by saying “My job is providing an atmosphere comfortable enough for them to share their ideas and giving them the tools to make it happen.”
October 2022
WorkSource Georgia Mountains (WSGM) celebrated National Manufacturing Day on October 6, 2022, to raise awareness about advanced manufacturing careers and prepare the next generation workforce for the future. In the Georgia Mountains region, 23 manufacturing employers offered tours during the month to over 700 students in the local school systems including Dawson, Forsyth, Hall, Lumpkin, Stephens, Union, Gainesville City, and Mountain Education School Systems.
ABB Motors and Mechanical Inc., Flowery Branch, GA – Electric Motors
Advanced Digital Cable, Blairsville, GA – Wires and Cabels
*ASI Southeast Inc, Eastanollee, GA – Commercial Partitions
*Barbe America, Flowery Branch, GA – Antiadhesives
Fox Factory, Gainesville, GA – Performance Defining Systems
GAF Materials Corp., Cumming, GA – Roofing Materials
Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network, Gainesville, GA – Poultry Related Diagnostics
Haering Precision USA, Lavonia, GA – Automotive Precision Parts
*Harris Products Group, Gainesville, GA – Gas Apparatuses
Hawg Halters, Dahlonega, GA – Motorcycle Parts and Accessories
IMS Gear Georgia Inc., Gainesville, GA – Gears, Housing and Assemblies
Kubota Manufacturing of America Corp, Gainesville, GA – Tractors and RTV’s
*LG-MRI, Alpharetta, GA – Outdoor Digital Displays
Mencom Corporation, Oakwood, GA – Electrical Connectors
*Patterson Pump, Toccoa, GA – Pumps
Performance Foodservice, Oakwood, GA – Food Distribution
*PPG Industries, Oakwood, GA – Latex Paint
*Siemens Automotive, Alpharetta, GA – Automotive
Solvay Specialty Polymers USA LLC, Alpharetta, GA – Polymers
Specialty Appliances, Cumming, GA – Orthodontic Laboratory
Steel Tech Industries LLC, Gainesville GA – Fabricated Structural Metal
StruXure Outdoors, Dahlonega, GA – Outdoor Products
Swagelok Georgia, Alpharetta, GA – Fluid Systems
Wahoo Docks, Dahlonega, GA – Aluminum Docks
ZF Gainesville LLC, Gainesville, GA – Automotive and Industrial
*Pictured.
Manufacturing is #1 in Industrial Employment in the area with an average salary of over $55,000/year. The region’s high schools offer career pathways in Drafting & Design, Electrical, Logistics, Machine Operations, Manufacturing, Mechatronics, Metal Fabrication, Robotics, Technical Systems, Welding, and Engineering & Technology all of which can lead to careers in manufacturing.
Georgia Mountains Region:
MFG is #1 in Industry Employment (16.4%) (1Q22)
MFG $26.75 Average Hourly Wage (1Q22)
2.7% Unemployment (Aug 2022)
WSGM and Workforce Strategies Group, LLC, created the Manufacturing (MFG) Sector Strategy to collaborate with area stakeholders to align education and workforce training programs with the needs of manufacturing businesses. WSGM, under Georgia Mountains Regional Commission, administers the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funds which encourages sector strategies and partnerships.
WSGM and Workforce Strategies Group, LLC, created the Manufacturing (MFG) Sector Strategy to collaborate with area stakeholders to align education and workforce training programs with the needs of manufacturing businesses. WSGM, under Georgia Mountains Regional Commission, administers the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funds which encourages sector strategies and partnerships.
WorkSource Georgia Mountains Region 2 includes the following counties: Banks, Dawson, Franklin, Forsyth, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, and White.
August 2022
Tsubaki-Nakashima (TN), located in Cumming, GA, hosted a tour for the Regional MFG Strategy Employer Partnership. Did you know that the average car has about 500 precision steel balls of various sizes? TN manufactures various sizes of precision steel balls that go in ball bearings. Our favorite part of the tour was the bounce test as a part of quality assurance that is simple, low-cost, and highly effective. The quality test was added as a part of the plant-wide Continuous Improvement efforts. TN is a founding member of the Region 2 MFG Sector Workforce Development Strategy and participates in the Quality Technician Apprenticeship (APP101).
August 2022
APP101 Celebration at Sherwin Williams
Tuesday, August 23, 2022: Sherwin-Williams, located in Buford, Hall County, Georgia, is awarded ARC grant money for their participation in an Apprenticeship Model (APP101) supported locally and regionally for small manufacturers located in Hall County, Georgia. The accomplishments of three Sherwin-Williams Company – Atlanta DSC employees that were selected to become apprentices in Industrial Maintenance were celebrated by a partnership of community leaders. Each apprentice was an existing employee that accepted the apprenticeship position when they responded to company posted internal position openings. Upon completion in Spring 2023, they will be promoted to full time Maintenance Technicians. As a part of APP101, the apprentices have an in-house mentor that conducts their structured On the Job Learning (OJL) while they also attend 1-2 classes of Related Technical Instruction (RTI) per semester at Lanier Technical College (Lanier Tech). There is no cost to the students. During their OJL, the apprentices have replaced cables in a Sherwin Williams Distribution automated robot which relates to their classes on wiring. They also reported that being able to read schematics now helped during their lighting project. At the beginning, apprenticeships are cost heavy to companies that engage in the opportunity, but the company outlined significant savings and paybacks they have already realized with the apprentices just half-way through.
As a part of APP101, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has awarded for 7 apprenticeships and 6 more are eligible next month. This includes apprentices from ALBAform, Bitzer, Elringklinger, Georgia Poultry Lab, Murray Plastics, Ranger Manufacturing, Sherwin Williams, and Voyant Beauty. The apprenticeships are in technical specialties of Industrial Maintenance, Machining and Quality Technicians. All these APP101 apprenticeships are 2 years in length, include a structured On the Job Learning (OJL) component with an assigned mentor, as well as Related Technical Instruction (RTI). All these apprenticeships are US Department of Labor Certified. There are currently 50 active 2-year apprenticeships in the WorkSource Georgia Mountains Region 2 which covers 13 counties, and all are supported by the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), more specifically by Lanier Tech and North Georgia Tech. This funding is part of an original ARC grant through the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) awarded to the Gainesville-Hall County Development Authority in the amount of $300,000 in December 2019. It is a partnership of the Authority, Lanier Technical College, WorkSource Georgia Mountains, and Workforce Strategies Group, LLC. The ARC grant funding opportunity for manufacturers starting apprenticeships concludes in 2023.
June 2022
Employers, economic developers, educators, and stakeholders in the 13-county Georgia Mountains region work collaboratively to align the region’s education and workforce training programs with the needs of manufacturing businesses. What we have accomplished this fiscal year:
• Boot Camps – 85% of graduates obtained employment in the MFG Sector
• Employability Skill Lesson Plans with local Videos and Industry Case Studies
• Be Pro Be Proud in 8 regional school systems for over 800 students
• Quality Tech Apprenticeships – 2nd Cohort started with higher participation
• Local Workforce Development Strategy with individual county teams
• Workforce Development newsletter – creation and distribution
• Participation in multiple Workforce Advisory Boards and Perkins V Sessions
May 2022
March 2022
January 2022
June 2021
June 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
APP101 was submitted for the award by the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission on behalf of partners in the Gainesville and Hall County Development Authority, Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, Lanier Technical College, WorkSource Georgia Mountains and Workforce Strategies Group LLC. APP101 creates apprenticeships for participants whose quality of life will be improved while also benefiting the small manufacturers for whom they work.
November 2020
August 2020
July 2020
March 2020
How businesses are helping middle schoolers choose career pathways – Gainesville Times
January 2020
December 2019
Appalachian Regional Commission grant to establish Apprenticeship 101
Funding Secured for Work Based Learning Initiative – Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce (ghcc.com)