Introducing WorkSource Southwest Georgia's Newsletter! Look for it in your email inbox about once a month, and check out our news and upcoming events. 
Welcome to WorkSource Southwest Georgia!  
WorkSource Southwest Georgia provides workforce services to businesses and job seekers in the Southwest Georgia region, home to 14 counties and 44 cities within them. Our daily mission is to build for our region a world-class workforce system that sustains and encourages economic growth.
Message From The Director...
Please spread the word if you know someone who is unemployed due to the COVID-19 virus or long-term unemployed, WorkSource Southwest Georgia was awarded funds in May 2020 to assist those individuals who are deemed eligible and suitable.
Please provide the individual(s) with the following emails for assistance: David Rutler, Project Manager: David.rutler@equusworks.com or Shirley Ingram, One-Stop Operator: shirley.ingram@equusworks.com
Although the Career Centers are currently closed to the public, our WorkSource/Equus (formerly ResCare) Staff are working remotely with existing and potential participants. 

Bill Owens wrote “A Strong Economy begins with a strong, well-educated Workforce”

Are you familiar with the term “The Great Resignation”?

The current mass exodus of employees from work has been dubbed “The Great Resignation.”

I discovered an article written in Forbes entitled "The Great Resignation: Retain Your Top Talent by Overcoming These Six Traps".

In April alone, the U.S. Labor Department confirmed a record spike with 4 million people calling it quits from their jobs. Microsoft’s Work Trend Index shows that 41% of the global workforce is “considering a job change in the next year.” Pandemic burnouts, changing personal priorities, a review of work-life balance and employee experience expectations are some of the factors that could explain this trend. One thing is certain: This trend brings the focus back onto retaining the existing high-potential top talent as the war for talent becomes brutal.
 
According to Gartner (paywall), retaining the high-potential top talent in your organization “can be the difference between a weak leadership pipeline and a strong portfolio that will drive future business growth.” Its research indicates that firms with weak leadership succession grow their revenue only half as fast as the strong ones. Yet while 62% of HR leaders rank managing their top talent as a top priority, only 13% of companies are confident they do a good job of it. In these times of great resignation, losing your top talent can deepen the crisis.
 
Here are six traps to avoid, saving your top talent from going to the competition. 
 
1.  Don’t mistake current high performance as a sign of engagement of top talent. Your top talent is performing well, and you can assume that they are likely to stay long-term with the firm, right? Wrong! While this could be true for most employee groups, the top talent group could manage their work well even if they might be discontented. Top talent prefers to do challenging, stimulating work and get recognized for their positive contributions with chances of climbing the corporate ladder quickly. Keep them engaged with real, challenging problems that firms face and get them to stretch the boundaries in realms of new possibilities. 
 
2.   Don’t make your top talent panacea for all ills. 
The traditional approach of senior executives to pick a top talent to run any important project could be counterproductive. The reasoning that top talent would get something challenging and engaging and the project will meet its objective is a faulty one. It increases the collaboration overload on top talent and reduces their efficiency to make a meaningful impact on the organization. Research indicates that collaboration burden reduces engagement, which can encourage people to look for a new job. Make sure that you are aware of the workload of these employees before assigning them the responsibilities that are top priorities for the firm. It should groom them for further bigger roles.

3. Don’t assume well-rewarded top talent is well-regarded top talent. 
This group of employees likes to be recognized through differentiated pay and top benefits. It’s a hygiene factor to make them stay with a firm. The motivating factors would be the way you broaden their horizons by giving challenging assignments that stretch their learnings and test their capabilities. Create opportunities that align with their aspirations and continue to provide constant feedback on the impact they make on the organization. You can’t always buy great top talent, but you can earn them.

4. Don’t delegate the top talent development to line managers.
Line managers have the important task of keeping the day-to-day operations running effectively. They are often tasked with the balancing act of producing short- to mid-term results. Sometimes, that reduces the ability of managers to look at important aspects of developing top talent to the more urgent need of producing results. Your top talent development should be run by a dedicated core team and should be periodically assessed by the relevant senior management. These employees are your long-term corporate assets, and you must manage them accordingly. Their loyalty will be long-lived if they have the right focus on present performance and future possibilities through developmental programs.

5. Don’t keep your top talent in the dark.
It’s not only essential to be transparent about future strategy; it’s also critical to involve your top talent in shaping the firm’s future strategy. Take time to emphasize their role in bringing the strategy to life. Some firms believe in not communicating to the top talent about their “star” status. In my experience, that completely defeats the purpose of the exercise of identifying top talent in the organization. You should transparently communicate with them about the expectations of being top talent and take every opportunity to share the future strategies on a privileged basis. This empowerment enhances the loyalty of top talent and helps them align, improve and shift to strategic priorities.

6. Don’t just engage the head but also the heart of your top talent.
Enough has been said and done about the strength of logic, opportunities and stretch assignments. In the coming months and years, there will be a renewed search for meaning at work. The top talent of your organization is no different and they are first to question the changing ethos of working life. Engage their emotions, understand their changing priorities, give them flexibility, and provide platforms to express their individualities. They will value the chance of helping the firm to grow the bottom line and equally treasure the opportunity to enhance the organization’s contribution in the field of environment, social and governance (ESG). The high-potential top talent of your organization are the people who will launch new products, build better customer relations, discover new markets, and drive growth through innovation. Engage them proactively, as the future of your organization is in their hands.
 
November will be extremely busy for the team as we prepare for our internal monitoring and external monitoring from The Office of Workforce Development.
 
I would be remiss not to acknowledge and show appreciation to the brave men and women who served and made so many sacrifices to ensure our freedom and safety. Thank you so very much! Happy Veterans Day!
 
From the Team of WorkSource Southwest Georgia, we would like to wish you and your family a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving Holiday!
 
To the Rockstars of WorkSource Southwest Georgia: Amanda, Rebecca, Jerry, Gerlissa and Pascha, please take a bow. Thank you for all the hard work and dedication to ensure we continue to go beyond the call of duty providing exceptional customer services to both external and internal customers. They are simply the Best! Yes, we are continuing to adapt to the new normal.
 
 Until next time……………………………………Melody Pierce
Healthcare Sector Partnership
Steering Committee
The goal of the Sector Industry Partnership Strategy is to develop an infrastructure of communication and collaboration between the public and private sectors. WorkSource Southwest Georgia was awarded a grant and chose Healthcare for their Sector Strategy with the goal being to understand Healthcare workforce needs. Our purpose is to create a strong healthcare workforce pipeline and fix the current leaks to increase the Healthcare Workforce in Southwest Georgia and keep the jobs and people in our area. Our committee sessions bring together healthcare employers and partners from across the region to learn about their current workforce needs, future needs, desired skills, and how education/workforce development can support their needs. We are working to bring all the necessary players to the table and establish open communication across all areas, including higher education, K-12 schools, and industry leaders. The WorkSource Southwest Georgia Healthcare Sector Partnership team consists of Project Managers, Jerry Chapman and Melody Pierce.

On August 24th & September 23rd, the Healthcare Sector Partnership Steering Committee conducted Zoom Meetings. 

Recapping the August 24th meeting:

WorkSource Southwest Georgia Participants: Jerry Chapman, Melody Pierce

Steering Committee Participants: Darrell Moore, Leigh Ribolzi, Lisa Stephens, Sarah Adams, Whitney Brannen, Charlene Brinson, Dennis Lee, Lorie Eubanks, Patricia King, Karen Williams, Laura Calhoun, Lisa Carhuff, Sharon Liggett

Guests: Amy Jones and Pam Popham from WorkSource Southern Georgia.

Overview and Announcements
Jerry welcomed the group. Melody gave updates from the State Workforce level. We are assisting individuals remotely, as Career Centers are currently not open to public. 

An overview if the Health Care Workforce Development Needs Assessment and Strategy was given. At the May Strategic Planning Meeting, three major goals were set for the Round 3 Partnership:
  • Dedicated Partnership Website developed with resource pages.
  • Annual Summit (Joint event with Region 11)
  • Middle School/High School Outreach (CTAE/stakeholder engagement)

A Round 3 Wish List includes:
  • Virtual/Mobile Healthcare
  • High Demand Boot Camp
  • Redirecting Healthcare Careers
  • Sponsorship Funding
  • TEACH Academy (AHEC)
  • Career Videos
 
Virtual/Mobile Healthcare and TEACH Academy (AHEC) have been moved up to “major goals”. Dates of June 6th & 7th 2022 have already been determined for TEACH Academy.

Development of a dedicated website for our Healthcare Sector Partnership is underway with the assistance of a student team from Valdosta State University. A progress report was given along with a request for input from the Partnership.

Laura Calhoun, with AHEC, reviewed TEACH Academy scheduled for June 6th & 7th 2022, at Phoebe Putney’s Simulation & Innovation Center in Albany. Anyone that would like to be on Laura’s Middle School/High School Outreach Committee and help with TEACH Academy, let me know.
 
Amy Jones, WorkSource Southern Georgia (Region 11), reviewed our plans for a joint Annual Healthcare Summit. The joint committees were planning on a November 2021 date, but due to the resurgence of COVID, they are now looking towards February 2022. A virtual summit is also a possibility. Lisa Carhuff, with Hometown Health, would like to be involved and partner with the Summit. Hometown Health can also help with funding. Lisa shared that the HSTEA Winter Conference will be February 2nd – 4th. To avoid conflict, we should not target those dates for our Summit.
 
Sarah Adams gave updates on her work through UGA Archway Professionals. They are involved in many initiatives such as Health & Wellness Summer programs, partnerships with Yellow Elephant, local Police Departments, NAMI and Georgia Pines in establishing a Mental Health Task Force. Her Intern, Toriona Stewart, who conducted an on-line interview with the Partnership during last month’s call, has finished her report. Sarah shared the link to the report, and I sent out to the group.
Darrell Moore gave updates on VSU. Their team working on our website needs additional information to proceed, and we will be setting up a call this week to address those needs. If anyone has specific photos that they would like attached their organization’s link on the site, send to Darrell or me. The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education has an upcoming event on October 14 in Valdosta. Darrell will be sending out additional information. This organization is doing much of the same work as our Partnership.
 
Sharon Liggett gave updates on UGA Archway Professionals. One of their most exciting projects is with UGA College of Public Health Institute of Gerontology and their dealings with Alzheimer’s and Dementia. They will be putting together a proposal for ARP Funds. They will be gathering community and stakeholder input on Alzheimer’s information, inventory of resources, lack of resources, etc. They will be looking at services and providers and making providers aware of available resources. This will probably be a 4-year project.
 
Amy Jones gave updates on their Healthcare Partnership in Region 11.
Lorie Eubanks gave updates from Memorial Hospital and Manor in Bainbridge and discussed challenges within the healthcare workforce in rural hospitals.
 
Whitney Brannen gave an update on her work through UGA Archway Professionals in Grady County.
 
Patricia King gave updates with Goodwill Industries.
 
 
Lisa Carhuff (Hometown Health) made a request for information data on recruitment and retention in area rural hospitals. They are in the process of applying for grants and such data would be very beneficial for the applications. Several from the Partnership said they would provide Lisa with their data. They are still planning on having their Fall Conference for rural hospitals.
 
Melody Pierce reviewed addition information from the State as it relates to this Sector Partnership and it’s continuation into the next grant period.
 
Lisa Stephens gave updates on Albany Technical College. They have started a Nurse Aide accelerated curriculum that TCSG adopted in response to COVID pandemic. They will be starting their first cohort on October 11.
 
 
Karen Williams gave updates from Memorial Hospital and Manor in Bainbridge and how they are being a resource for the community and providing support for their staff to include mental health support. She shared that yesterday, every patient in their facility (but one) was COVID related. They have needs for respiratory therapists and RNs and are having to look to agency staffing to meet these needs. Their turnover rate is at 32%.
 
Charlene Brinson gave updates on GDOL. UI claims are on the rise again. Charlene has been working on a webinar on the Post COVID Recruitment Strategy, which is now being updated to help employers Thrive During the Pandemic. Businesses are actively seeking quality workers willing to show up and work. Lack of soft skills training is big issue. Businesses being creative in offering incentives to attract workers, but still struggling.
 
Pam Popham with WorkSource Southern Georgia (Region 11) gave updates on their Sector Partnership work.
 
Leigh Ribolzi gave updates on Miller County Collaborative and Family Connection.

Recapping the September 24th meeting:

WorkSource Southwest Georgia Participants: Jerry Chapman,

Steering Committee Participants: Darrell Moore, Dennis Lee, Barbara Grogan, Leigh Ribolzi, Lisa Stephens, Whitney Brannen, Charlene Brinson, Lorie Eubanks, Karen Williams, Laura Calhoun, Sarah Brinson, Sharon Liggett, Teresa Teasley, Joanne Jones, Sandra Martin, Shirley Ingram

Guests: Amy Jones and Pam Popham from WorkSource Southern Georgia.
 
Overview and Announcements
Jerry welcomed the group. We are assisting individuals remotely, as Career Centers are currently not open to public. 

An overview if the Health Care Workforce Development Needs Assessment and Strategy was given. At the May Strategic Planning Meeting, three major goals were set for the Round 3 Partnership:
  • Dedicated Partnership Website developed with resource pages.
  • Annual Summit (Joint event with Region 11)
  •  Middle School/High School Outreach (CTAE/stakeholder engagement)
 
A Round 3 Wish List includes:
  • Virtual/Mobile Healthcare
  • High Demand Boot Camp
  • Redirecting Healthcare Careers
  • Sponsorship Funding
  • TEACH Academy (AHEC)
  • Career Videos
 
Virtual/Mobile Healthcare and TEACH Academy (AHEC) have been moved up to “major goals”. Dates of June 6th & 7th 2022 have already been determined for TEACH Academy.

Development of a dedicated website for our Healthcare Sector Partnership is underway with the assistance of a student team from Valdosta State University. A progress report was given along with a request for input from the Partnership.

Laura Calhoun, with AHEC, reviewed TEACH Academy scheduled for June 6th & 7th 2022, at Phoebe Putney’s Simulation & Innovation Center in Albany. Anyone that would like to be on Laura’s Middle School/High School Outreach Committee and help with TEACH Academy, let me know.

Amy Jones, WorkSource Southern Georgia (Region 11), reviewed our plans for a joint Annual Healthcare Summit. The joint committees were planning on a November 2021 date, but due to the resurgence of COVID, they are now looking towards February 2022. A virtual summit is also a possibility

Sandra Martin, with GaDOE, left the classroom and has been in her new position working with health science teachers. Her main focus in working with the teachers is to strengthen them and their programs to produce the strongest possible pipeline in those areas. She and her team are program specialists to focus on anything in business and industry to help middle school and high school level students get the pipelines filled. They are also involved with a professional student organization called Georgia Wholesale which supports teachers and students to help them be stronger in the pipeline.

Dennis Lee gave updates on Southern Regional Technical College. Their healthcare faculty and staff are starting a program to honor and recognize the healthcare workers in their service region which consists of 11 counties in Southern Georgia. This is rolling out this month and is in the middle of the campaign.

Sharon Liggett gave updates on UGA Archway Professionals. She is glad to see the progress and success of our Sector Partnership.

Barbara Grogan, President Moultrie Colquitt County Development Authority, gave updates on economic development activities in Colquitt County. She discussed healthcare and COVID issues and how the business community is coping. 

Laura Calhoun discussed the Nursing Workforce Summit that will be having roll-out meetings in November.

Whitney Brannen gave an update on her work through UGA Archway Professionals in Grady County. 

Darrell Moore gave updates on VSU. Their team working on our website needs additional information to proceed, and we will be setting up a call this week to address those needs. If anyone has specific photos that they would like attached their organization’s link on the site, send to Darrell or me. He reviewed the Census campaign. Results are coming in with more to be released at the end of September. They have created 4 Vaccine posters that I will be sharing with the Partnership. The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education has an upcoming event on October 14 in Valdosta. Darrell will be sending out additional information. This organization is doing much of the same work as our Partnership.

Sarah Brinson gave updates on Albany State University. They are highly suggesting that their students wear masks. They offer weekly COVID testing and vaccinations. They have set up vaccination stations at football games and will be incorporating stations with upcoming Homecoming activities. There is an alarming trend where students are not wanting to major in nursing due to COVID issues.

Karen Williams gave updates from Memorial Hospital and Manor in Bainbridge. They are trying to keep a positive attitude but are facing many challenges. They require their clinical students to be vaccinated, which is becoming a deterrent to some wanting to work at the hospital. They have a youth apprenticeship program with high school students. Typically, they have 10 to 15 students, but this semester they only have 6 because of the restrictions and limitations that they have in place. They are doing everything they can to prevent the spread of COVID. She wants to use our Sector Partnership platform to solicit help in recruiting nurses. They also need technical staff, maintenance staff and ultra-sound techs. Agency rates are outrageous. An agency RN can command a rate of upwards to $160 an hour.

Joanne Jones gave updates on PCOM. They are experiencing the same struggles with COVID issues as everyone else. They are fully masked on campus. Those that not vaccinated with a waver are required to be tested each week, sometimes twice weekly. 97% of their students are vaccinated. They were able to complete their math and science academy with high school students this summer. Students are fully back now. Joanne is this year’s Chair of the Moultrie-Colquitt County Chamber of Commerce Board.

Lisa Stephens gave updates on Albany Technical College. They have started a Nurse Aide accelerated curriculum that TCSG adopted in response to COVID pandemic. They will be starting their first cohort on October 11. Lisa sent out information to the Partnership on the Nurse Aide Accelerated Nurse Aide Accelerated Inaugural Cohort.

Dr. Teresa Teasley gave updates on Georgia Southwestern University. They are back to business as usual. No masks, no vaccine requirements, no social distancing mandates which is a little frustrating for staff. Students are back in clinicals. The challenge is with those students not wanting to be vaccinated. They are not allowed to ask them to do so. This is left up to the clinical agencies. They are getting ready for the start of their ASN Program, which is scheduled to admit students Fall 2022. This is a 6-semester program designed to help meet the needs of their local workforce. They are staying positive and keeping on.

Charlene Brinson gave updates on GDOL. Offices are still closed to the public. They are still trying to connect with everyone virtually in trying to place job seekers with employers. It has been a challenge and a disconnect. Employers are seeking workers, and some are requiring vaccination for employment. Some workers, for whatever reasons, are refusing vaccinations. Some of those refusing vaccinations may not be ready to go back to work. GDOL has stopped the extended federal funds, but with the rise in COVID and the new variant, GDOL is still filing UI claims with the new variance. Unemployment rate for Albany area is 3.5%, compared to 5.3% nationally. Charlene has been working on a webinar on the Post COVID Recruitment Strategy, which is now being updated to help employers Thrive During the Pandemic. Businesses are actively seeking quality workers willing to show up and work. They are encouraging employers to take another look at older workers, workers with disabilities and ex-offenders. 

Leigh Ribolzi gave updates on Miller County Collaborative and Family Connection.

Shirley Ingram gave updates on WorkSource Southwest Georgia One-Stop Operations. Shirley shares updates from a variety of partner organizations. She has a regular scheduled virtual meeting the fourth Tuesday of every month. She will be glad to share anything that this Partnership would like to send out. 
 
Other Discussion:
Upcoming meeting dates. It is the consensus of the group that we schedule monthly Zoom meetings and quarterly in-person meetings. With the resurgence of COVID, we will probably schedule a Zoom meeting for next monty. Jerry will send out a Doodle Poll to select best time and dates for meetings. 
SETA
Fall 2021
Conference
The Southeastern Employment Training Association (SETA) Fall Conference was held September 26 - 29 at the Beau Rivage Hotel in Biloxi Mississippi.

Workforce professionals from eight states converged on Biloxi to connect with workforce professionals and learn the latest techniques and practices to achieve excellence in workforce development. SETA strives to work with business and industry to provide the tools needed for a highly skilled and highly trained workforce.

The opening Keynote Session, Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events, was led by Robert Lincoln. This session was designed to help individuals survive emergent events.

Attendees then had the opportunity to join breakout sessions for presentations and discussions on various topics such as: Engaging Non-Traditional Youth in Your Workforce Pipeline, Local Workforce Board Management, Using WIOA Funds to Reverse the School to Prison Pipeline, Challenges for Workforce Boards Post Pandemic, Developing Talent for Remote Work, Building Work Ethic in a Post-Pandemic World, The Secret to Successful Youth Engagement, Great Talent Knows No Boundaries and many more.

There were news updates from Washington from experts to help sort out what's going on with Congress and the Administration and how it will affect workforce programs.

Each state represented, had State Caucus Meetings to allow local discussions and offerings of state-wide insights and recommendations.

Information gathered from all of the sessions was well worth attending the conference. The interaction and networking opportunities with other areas made the conference even more valuable.
Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan
Business and Education Summit
On Tuesday, October 5th, Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan's Business and Education Summit was held at Great Wolf Lodge in LaGrange, Georgia. It was hosted by Troup County THINC College and Career Academy.

The Keynote address was given by Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan who shared his goal of a more innovative and inclusive Georgia. The Partnership for Inclusive Innovation, a program he launched in 2019, brings together public and private stakeholders to drive Georgia's long term success in areas where College & Career Academies provide educational pipelines for our workforce and in economic development.

In addition to panels centered on business and education partnerships, students and organizations that have played an essential role in advancing innovation within their communities were recognized.

The College & Career Academy of the Year was awarded to the Commodore Conyers College & Career Academy (4C Academy) in Albany. Accepting the award was Chris Hatcher, CEO, Angie Gardner, Principal, and Kenneth Dyer, Superintendent of the Dougherty County School System.
Event & Meeting Schedule

November 3: 9am - 11:30am. 5th Annual Talent Innovation Summit: The ROI of Talent Management. Virtual event hosted by CareerSource Capital Region.

November 5: 12pm - 2pm. Webinar #1 - Regional Nursing Workforce Summit: Workplan Dissemination & Implementation. Virtual event hosted by SOWEGA - AHEC.

November 9: 2pm - 7pm. Southwest Georgia Regional Job Fair, Albany Civic Center, Albany GA

November 12: 12pm - 2pm. Webinar #2 - Regional Nursing Workforce Summit: Workplan Dissemination & Implementation. Virtual event hosted by SOWEGA - AHEC.

December 7: 6pm - 8pm Workforce Development Board Meeting, WorkSource Southwest Georgia Admin. Office, 75 W. Broad St., Camilla GA

December 9: 10am - 1pm. SWGA Healthcare Sector Partnership Meeting, Cairo College & Career Academy, Cairo GA
WorkSource Southwest Georgia

75 West Broad Street P.O. Box 647, Camilla, GA 31730
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act is an Equal Opportunity Program. Discrimination is prohibited by Federal law. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Requests for services, aids, and/or alternate formats need to be made by calling TTY: 1-800-255-0056.