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UGA graduate students in workforce education, leadership and social foundations heard from influential individuals in various workforce development units across that state of Georgia in a March 22 breakfast meeting at Rivers Crossing sponsored by professors Karen Jones and Roger Hill.

Jones is instructing a graduate level course which focuses on preparing educators to teach 21st century skills, work ethics, and innovation to K-12 students. Her students thought it would be beneficial to gather personnel from key agencies to share what the class is working on and to gain perspective on how the agencies are working to improve these important skills for Georgia’s youth.

Employability skills and work ethics were the main topics discussed at the meeting. Work ethic attributes are necessary for students to find success in the workplace. An alarming statistic that was presented during the session was that 69 percent of first time hires who were let go from their jobs were fired due to lack of employability skills as reported by Georgia BEST.  Presenters were Kate Russell from the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development, Joe Dan Baker from the Technical College System of Georgia, Cindy Morley from Georgia BEST/Department of Labor, Hill, and members of the workforce education class.  Also present were Mamie Hanson and Pat Blenke from the Georgia Department of Education.