At Monday afternoon’s monthly Chamber of Commerce power lunch, Chamber members heard from Mike Beatty, President and CEO of the Great Promise Partnership, Inc., a partnership between the Department of Community Affairs and businesses and industries throughout the state to assist at-risk high school students finish high school and either enter college or the workforce. Based on a program piloted at Carrollton’s Southwire plant, GPP has proven to be successful everywhere it has been implemented. Beatty is on a tour of the southern portion of the state to spread awareness about the program. “The greatest hurdle in Georgia is the lack of a trained workforce. There are over 100,000 young people in the state who are stuck. We need to unstick those kids and show them why they are in school. If we don’t do that, the next decade will be a tough one,” said Beatty at the meeting.
GPP places students who qualify for the program with a partner employer. The student will then spend part of the day in school and part of the day working, where the student will learn valuable skills to help he or she be successful in the future. The program is equal parts employment, mentoring, tutoring, and teaching. The program already has a presence in Coffee County; Beatty hopes that it will spread to include more and more students and employers. “When these kids show up at a workplace, two things will happen: First, employee morale for the whole facility goes up, and secondly, profits go up. There is dignity in work and getting our young people engaged in a career,” stated Beatty. For more information on the Great Promise Program, visit www.gppartnership.org.
During her remarks, Chamber president JoAnne Lewis reported some good news to members: A number of industrial prospects have shown interest in coming to Douglas and Coffee County, and two potential industries are looking closely at the spec building. In addition, a Canadian company is very interested in a site at the industrial park. “Things are indeed looking up in 2015,” said Lewis.
WinShape Camps sponsored the luncheon; once again, WinShape will be coming to Douglas during June. The camp is open for students who have completed first through sixth grades, and there is room for 500 campers. The camp will take place from June 8-12 at First Baptist Church.