Quick Poll

Did you agree with President Obama's decision on Thursday to waive the No Child Left Behind requirements in 10 states, including Georgia?

Blogs

Angela McRae

Tea with friends

Deberah Williams

Everyday Finesse

Lorrie Lynch

Who's News

Published Saturday, February 06, 2010 in Opinion

Quick Start a boon for workers, industry throughout Georgia

Editorial

One of the great training programs for new companies and expanding companies in Georgia is Quick Start, operated by the Technical College System of Georgia and our state's technical colleges -- including West Georgia Technical College, which serves Coweta County and the west central area of our state.

If you look on the West Georgia Tech Internet Web site, the college boldly says Quick Start and West Georgia Technical College may be the best-kept secret in our area. That's not just a bold statement, it's an accurate one. Quick Start is indeed a big force in helping Georgia attract jobs to our state.

Hundreds of the Kia workers at the new auto assembly plant in West Point received Quick Start training. Hundreds of other Kia employees will get Quick Start training as the company adds a second shift.

The Quick Start program provides job specific training for new and expanding companies. That training is adapted to whatever the company needs, and can be done at no cost for new and expanding companies.

The numbers tell the story of the success of Quick Start for companies and for workers in our state. In 2009 there were 223 Quick Start projects in Georgia that included 73,797 trainees. The Technical College System says Quick Start saved or created nearly 16,000 jobs in 2009, and the program contributed $477.5 million in payroll revenue around the state. Sixty-seven percent of the projects in 2009 were outside the metro Atlanta area, and 32 percent of the Quick Start projects involved international companies.

Quick Start dates back to the 1980s, when the then upstart training program was instrumental in bringing Pratt and Whitney aircraft engine manufacturers to Columbus. It's been a great program to lure industry and to equip our work force to the needs of employers.

Comment On This Story

Times-Herald.com does not necessarily agree with the comments posted below. Responsibility of comments rests solely with the writer. Comments posted in ALL CAPS will be deleted.

Submission of a comment does not guarantee publication. Comments will be posted by a moderator after being scanned for abusive language, relevance, etc. See our Comments FAQ for more details.