Gov. Sonny Perdue this week named Troup County as a Certified Work Ready Community, which shows that Troup “has the skilled workforce that business demands and the educational infrastructure to drive economic growth and prosperity.”

Road signs at the county line will mark the designation, and the county will receive a $10,000 grant to further workforce development efforts.

“I am delighted with this an-nouncement,” said LaGrange Development Authority Chairman Diethard Lindner, region leader for Georgia Work Ready. “I have been waiting on the governor’s an-nouncement since the end of last year.”

When companies look to invest in Georgia, the state Department of Economic Development will point to Work Ready communities as having the appropriate skilled workforce for their facilities, Lindner said.

He said a team led by Ginger Booton of LaGrange deserves all the credit, adding, “There was nothing easy about getting Troup certified. It was all hard work and the perseverance for the last 18 months by Ginger and her team. It was a superb effort.”

County Commission Chairman Ricky Wolfe and LaGrange Mayor Jeff Lukken both were involved as well and “that really defines this community’s enthusiasm to constantly improve,” Lindner said.

Lindner’s region includes Troup, Meriwether, Heard, Coweta, Talbot and Upson counties. Upson also is a Work Ready community, and Meriwether and Talbot are more than 75 percent complete.

In Troup County, 1,973 Work Ready certificates have been earned - 153 percent more than the goal - and the public high school graduation rate has increased from 73.2 percent to 76.3 percent.

“Establishing a path for lifelong learning empowers Georgians to improve their skills and take on the challenges of today’s economy,” Perdue said. “By building a strong, well-trained workforce, these communities have taken charge of their futures and are equipped for economic growth and success.”

To earn Work Ready designation, counties must demonstrate a commitment to measurably improve public high school graduation rates and show that a significant percentage of the available workforce has obtained Work Ready certificates.

Each community created a team of economic development, government and education partners to meet the certification criteria within three years. Counties can maintain their status by ensuring that a small percentage of the available workforce continues to earn Work Ready certificates, engage local businesses to recognize and use Work Ready, and continue to increase the high school graduation rate.

Georgia’s Work Ready initiative is based on a skills assessment and certification for job seekers and a job profiling system for businesses. By identifying both the needs of business and the available skills of Georgia’s workforce, the state can more effectively generate the right talent for the right jobs.

— For more information, go online to troupcountyworks.com or gaworkready. org.

Joel Martin can be reached at jmartin@ lagrangenews. com or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 235.