Jodi Hiller was out of work and having trouble finding a job in a sluggish economy. Larry Lynn needed help at his printing business but had hiring on hold because of training costs and frustration at finding responsible employees.
|
ADVERTISEMENT
|
|
|
Have a thought?
Go to the Forums or Chat.
|
|
|
|
Tamika Bowman makes sure all of her paperwork is in order. She was with others who are taking part in the Georgia Works program at the Augusta Career Center.
Ron Cockerille/Staff
|
|
Rhonda Gilbert, a services specialist for the Georgia Department of Labor, explains to those attending the workshop what is involved in the Georgia Works program .
Ron Cockerille/Staff
|
|
Both problems were solved by a Georgia Department of Labor program that is gaining national attention.
The program, called Georgia Works, allows employers to hire displaced workers who are collecting an unemployment check for up eight weeks of no-cost, on-the-job training.
The idea is that employers will be more willing to a hire a prospective employee they "test drive" for free before investing time and money to train them.
"They're basically auditioning their skills to an employer," said state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, who created the program last year to stimulate near-term job creation while the economy makes a long-term recovery.
Nearly 60 percent of the 800 people who have gone through the program found a job within eight weeks.
One of those people was Ms. Hiller, a graphic artist who was laid off from a Columbia County advertising agency in November, just a month before the Georgia Works program was rolled out in the Augusta area.
With three children at home and no near-term job prospects, Ms. Hiller turned to the program as a way to get her foot in the door - any door.
It just so happened Mr. Lynn's Allegra Print & Imaging on Washington Road was in need of a production assistant.
The small businessman, however, wasn't eager to replace his previous assistant, who had moved out of town. Finding a responsible person willing to learn the printing craft and stick with it has never been easy during his 22 years in business.
"Typically when we lose an employee, it's usually a good year and a half before we replace them," Mr. Lynn said.
But Mr. Lynn became interested in Ms. Hiller after hearing about her through a mutual friend. His interested piqued even more when he found out details on the Georgia Works program.
"I guess I was bright enough to see this was a real opportunity for me," he said.
Ms. Hiller came on board, and before long had surpassed the productivity of the employee she had replaced.
"People say I'm a quick learner," Ms. Hiller said.
After the eight-week period ended, Mr. Lynn decided to make her a full-time employee. He now sings the program's praises.
"I do brag about it a lot," he said.
Even in cases where the employer doesn't hire the worker after the eight-week period ends, the worker still comes away with new skills and a possible reference to list on their rÈsumÈ, said Rhonda Gilbert, who runs the program at the Labor Department's Augusta Career Center.
"You might have a person who trained at a dental office where the dentist doesn't have a full-time position," she said. "That dentist can say, 'I can't hire you now, but I'll talk to other dentists I know and ask if they need somebody.' It's kind of like a networking thing."
It also allows job-seekers to "try out" potential companies and occupations before deciding on a career path.
Area employers participating in the program besides Allegra include Powerhouse Gym, Augusta Technical College, Howard's Upholstery, Dr. Latimer Blount and Commercial & Military Systems.
The program is small, but officials hope it will grow in size as more employers find out about it.
"Our biggest challenge has been getting the word out," Mr. Thurmond said.
Word of the program's successes has spread to the neighboring states such as Alabama and North Carolina, which have created their own versions of Georgia Works, and the U.S. Department of Labor has discussed ways to nationalize the program.
"We're looking very closely at trying to replicate it in other states and regions," said Gene Caso, the chief of workforce investment in the Labor Department's Employment and Training Administration's regional office in Atlanta.
A presentation on the program will be made in September at the Southeastern Employment and Training Association's conference in Lexington, Ky., he said.
Mr. Thurmond said he simply wanted to find a way to leverage the state's unemployment checks into an employment opportunity.
"I was frustrated that we were telling people to go out and look for jobs that didn't exist, I didn't think we were doing enough," he said.
If job seekers can find employment in eight weeks through the program instead of the average 13 weeks, the state's unemployment trust fund can save "millions of dollars," he said.
How it works
Newly laid-off workers who qualify for unemployment insurance benefits sign up for the program.
The workers, either on their own or with help from Labor Department career counselors, find employers willing to participate.
Worker are employed for up to 24 hours per week for eight weeks. They are not paid by the employer, but they keep collecting unemployment benefits. The state pays the worker an additional $240 - half after the first week, half after the fourth week - as an incentive.
At any time, employers can choose to hire the workers full time. If not, workers receive a certificate of completion that they can use to help them in their next job search.
Reach Damon Cline at damon.cline@augustachronicle.com or (706) 823-3486.
