Rodger Brown, Director Marketing and Communications, Quick
Start. contributed the following article:
The dedicated team at Quick Start, contributed the
following about the strategic workforce solutions delivered to
Georgia manufacturing businesses by Quick Start:
When cable network CNBC announced its latest ranking of
"America's Top States for Business," the business-news leader
noted: "Many states point with great pride to the quality and
availability of their workers, as well as government-sponsored
programs to train them."
Yes, many states do. But only one state can point to its ranking
as No. 1 on CNBC's list for the quality of its workforce and
workforce training. That's Georgia. And that's not the first time
Georgia has been recognized for workforce development. For nearly a
decade, Expansion Management magazine conducted an annual
survey of site selection professionals to rank states in workforce
training. These are the professionals who advise companies on the
best locations to make investments, start a new manufacturing
business and create jobs. Georgia scored the top spot numerous
times, ranking No. 1 overall for all the years of the survey.
What accounts for that success? Such an achievement is always a
team effort. State agencies, our technical colleges, the university
system, individual communities, and our corporate partners in
economic development collaborate to tell Georgia's story. What
seals the deal with regard to workforce is the quality and
effectiveness of the strategic workforce solutions delivered by
Quick Start, a part of the Technical College System of Georgia.
For 42 years - since 1967 - Quick Start has been providing
workforce training for small and mid-market companies creating and
keeping jobs in Georgia. Quick Start's services are provided free
of charge to new companies as an economic development incentive to
locate in Georgia, and to existing companies to support them as
they expand or implement new technologies to stay competitive.
Customized training - training the right people with the right
skills to precisely meet each company's needs - is Quick Start's
core business. But that's not as simple as it sounds. Today, those
fundamental, practical skills incorporate higher-level challenges
-- critical thinking, collaborative team skills, and dedication to
continuous improvement. Companies are continually upgrading
processes, developing new products, and implementing new
technology, and these advances demand a new way of thinking about
workforce training. Today's environment calls for strategic
workforce solutions.
"Strategic workforce solutions" is not just a catchphrase. To
deliver a strategic workforce solution, Quick Start must understand
a company's culture, its products, markets, goals and manufacturing
business challenges, as well as the specific requirements for
different jobs. This strategic understanding then informs the
relationship between Quick Start and the client company, adding
value every step of the way -- from assessing and selecting
candidates, to training new employees, and building efficient,
productive teams. It's this deep and broad value proposition that
earns Quick Start and Georgia the international recognition and top
rankings that continue to grab headlines.
That's also how Quick Start has evolved as the top brand name
for workforce solutions. Usually, people don't think of state
agencies in the same way they think of commercial products or
services that compete for brand awareness and brand recognition in
the marketplace. Quick Start, however, is different. To effectively
partner with manufacturers, Quick Start has to operate like a
business itself. "Quick Start" is a registered trademark, and the
state of Georgia has 42 years of stellar performance invested in
the brand proposition represented by the name. It's a priceless
asset that helped Georgia businesses create or save 17,601 jobs
last year alone.
As all businesspeople know, this is how brands work. Our range
of experience - from manufacturing to biotech, warehouse and
distribution, and business operations - and our range of clients -
from locally owned and operated businesses around the state to
international corporations - all contribute to the meaning and
value of the brand name Quick Start.
Quick Start is Georgia's unique brand advantage that means
world-class performance, rapid and efficient training, effective
and strategic partnership, and bottom-line return on
investment.
Best of all, for companies creating or retaining jobs in
Georgia, Quick Start's strategic workforce solutions come free of
charge.
No wonder Georgia wins.