Camden County's economic competitiveness is only as strong as its workforce. Community growth demands a workforce prepared with the diverse skills needed for today's global economy. The primary focus of the Camden County Chamber of Commerce Workforce Development Committee (WDC) is to identify training and educational opportunities in our community and to link Camden employers and individuals to resources and information that develop and improve the marketability of our local workforce to current and prospective employers and industry.
Learning, both personal and professional, is lifelong and requires an ever-changing skill set for individuals who wish to sustain their economic viability in today's global market. WDC supports economic diversification for Camden employers and employees by promoting access to local training and other educational opportunities that provide a wide range of skills from basic "soft" skills to post-secondary programs. Our efforts aim to enhance employability while sustaining a viable quality of life for individuals who are just entering the workforce, second career seekers, military family members, and retirees.
The mission of the WDC is to identify and promote opportunities for a partnership between the education and employment communities of Camden County so as to foster favorable workplace practices and a support a skilled local workforce and to evaluate current practices to determine if the committee’s goals are meeting the demand of the area workforce.
Workforce Development
Prospective Students
The Camden community is blessed to be served by public, institutions that are administered by the University System of Georgia and governed by the Board of Regents. College of Coastal Georgia (CCG), Valdosta State University (VSU) and Armstrong Atlantic State University (AASU) are the three Board of Regents institutions that provide opportunities to citizens of the Camden and Kings Bay area. Brenau is a private liberal arts institution located in Gainesville, GA with a satellite campus at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, Kings Bay.
College of Coastal Georgia is unique in that it is one of only four Board of Regents schools that is also governed by the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education. This allows CCG to provide both traditional transfer programs to 2 and 4 year institutions as well as technical career programs that provide immediate placement into the workforce.
Georgia is further advantaged in that the HOPE Grant and HOPE Scholarship provide financial aid to nearly every individual seeking postsecondary education at a Georgia public postsecondary institution. Nearly every postsecondary student seeking to earn a technical certificate or certificate of credit can qualify for the HOPE GRANT in a DTAE program at CCG. It is important to realize that the HOPE GRANT award applies ONLY to certificates and certificates of credit. HOPE SCHOLARSHIP awards are based on merit and therefore require a GPA of 3.0 or higher directly from high school (on a college prep diploma) or following 30 hours of established college credit.
In selecting a postsecondary program of study, it is therefore important that applicants understand the criteria for establishing HOPE GRANT and HOPE Scholarship awards as they apply to specific programs. Other financial aid sources may be sought by applicants through filing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or establishing an account at www.gacollege411.org or www.armstrong.edu;www.brenau.edu;www.cgcc.edu;www.valdosta.edu.
College of Coastal Georgia is unique in that it is one of only four Board of Regents schools that is also governed by the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education. This allows CCG to provide both traditional transfer programs to 2 and 4 year institutions as well as technical career programs that provide immediate placement into the workforce.
Georgia is further advantaged in that the HOPE Grant and HOPE Scholarship provide financial aid to nearly every individual seeking postsecondary education at a Georgia public postsecondary institution. Nearly every postsecondary student seeking to earn a technical certificate or certificate of credit can qualify for the HOPE GRANT in a DTAE program at CCG. It is important to realize that the HOPE GRANT award applies ONLY to certificates and certificates of credit. HOPE SCHOLARSHIP awards are based on merit and therefore require a GPA of 3.0 or higher directly from high school (on a college prep diploma) or following 30 hours of established college credit.
In selecting a postsecondary program of study, it is therefore important that applicants understand the criteria for establishing HOPE GRANT and HOPE Scholarship awards as they apply to specific programs. Other financial aid sources may be sought by applicants through filing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or establishing an account at www.gacollege411.org or www.armstrong.edu;www.brenau.edu;www.cgcc.edu;www.valdosta.edu.
Workforce Incentives
Employee Screening
The Georgia Department of Labor/Kings Bay Career Center will recruit, screen and refer applicants, free of charge, to your specifications. These tasks can significantly cut your Human Resource department's time involved in adding new hires.
Quick-Start Pre-employment Training
Quick-Start's Pre-Employment Training is designed to assist companies in obtaining the most qualified work force possible. The process provides a unique opportunity for your company and your potential employees to assess one another...before employment is offered. This applicant screening process is a coordinated effort among your company, the Georgia Department of Labor and Quick Start. The screening, training, and manuals are provided in most cases at no cost to you. Initial and on-going training is also included. This is typically available for 25 or more positions with similar skill sets. www.georgiaquickstart.org
Intellectual Capital Partnership Program (ICAPP)
The programs of ICAPP provide one-stop entry to the intellectual capital of the University System of Georgia - its education programs, faculty expertise, and research and development facilities. ICAPP Advantage is a direct economic development incentive that helps companies meet immediate human resources needs. Through this program, Georgia's public colleges and universities can expedite the education of highly skilled workers to meet specific work force needs. Companies specify the knowledge areas to be taught, and then recruit and select the participants they will sponsor to be educated in those skills. These programs can be funded through the HOPE Scholarship program (http://www.peachnet.edu).
Hope Scholarship and Hope Grant
Through the HOPE Scholarship, Georgia provides tuition, mandatory fees, and a $100 book allowance at a Georgia public college, technical school, or university for students who are residents of Georgia and who have completed high school since 1993 with a "B" average or better. Students must maintain the "B" average in college. HOPE also provides $3,000 per academic school year for eligible students attending a private college or university and an additional $1,000 in Tuition Equalizations Grants per year.
Through the HOPE Grant, any Georgia resident is eligible for 95 quarter hours of tuition-paid diploma and certificate programs at a state technical college. This also includes the payment of Hope-approved mandatory fees and a book allowance of up to $100 per quarter directly to the technical college. Georgia residents may receive a Hope Grant regardless of high school graduation date or grade average. Full-time enrollment is not required, but the student must be making "satisfactory academic progress" to maintain eligibility. If a student's basic skills (math, writing, and reading) are not up to a 10th grade level, the program automatically enters them into a county-sponsored program to upgrade those skills.
Right To Work Laws
The State of Georgia is a right to work state. This means that persons wanting to work have the right not to be a part of any organized labor force.
The Georgia Department of Labor/Kings Bay Career Center will recruit, screen and refer applicants, free of charge, to your specifications. These tasks can significantly cut your Human Resource department's time involved in adding new hires.
Quick-Start Pre-employment Training
Quick-Start's Pre-Employment Training is designed to assist companies in obtaining the most qualified work force possible. The process provides a unique opportunity for your company and your potential employees to assess one another...before employment is offered. This applicant screening process is a coordinated effort among your company, the Georgia Department of Labor and Quick Start. The screening, training, and manuals are provided in most cases at no cost to you. Initial and on-going training is also included. This is typically available for 25 or more positions with similar skill sets. www.georgiaquickstart.org
Intellectual Capital Partnership Program (ICAPP)
The programs of ICAPP provide one-stop entry to the intellectual capital of the University System of Georgia - its education programs, faculty expertise, and research and development facilities. ICAPP Advantage is a direct economic development incentive that helps companies meet immediate human resources needs. Through this program, Georgia's public colleges and universities can expedite the education of highly skilled workers to meet specific work force needs. Companies specify the knowledge areas to be taught, and then recruit and select the participants they will sponsor to be educated in those skills. These programs can be funded through the HOPE Scholarship program (http://www.peachnet.edu).
Hope Scholarship and Hope Grant
- Degree Program
Through the HOPE Scholarship, Georgia provides tuition, mandatory fees, and a $100 book allowance at a Georgia public college, technical school, or university for students who are residents of Georgia and who have completed high school since 1993 with a "B" average or better. Students must maintain the "B" average in college. HOPE also provides $3,000 per academic school year for eligible students attending a private college or university and an additional $1,000 in Tuition Equalizations Grants per year.
- Diploma Program
Through the HOPE Grant, any Georgia resident is eligible for 95 quarter hours of tuition-paid diploma and certificate programs at a state technical college. This also includes the payment of Hope-approved mandatory fees and a book allowance of up to $100 per quarter directly to the technical college. Georgia residents may receive a Hope Grant regardless of high school graduation date or grade average. Full-time enrollment is not required, but the student must be making "satisfactory academic progress" to maintain eligibility. If a student's basic skills (math, writing, and reading) are not up to a 10th grade level, the program automatically enters them into a county-sponsored program to upgrade those skills.
Right To Work Laws
The State of Georgia is a right to work state. This means that persons wanting to work have the right not to be a part of any organized labor force.