The Georgia Department of Labor’s (GDOL) Jobs for Georgia Graduates (JGG) program will host the 24th Annual State Career Association Conference at the Classic Center in Athens Thursday, March 31.

Each year the GDOL hosts a JGG conference and awards luncheon to provide career-oriented information and to showcase the talents and skills of deserving youth.

About 700 high school seniors from 31 high schools from across the state will attend this year’s event. The conference will begin at 10 a.m. with an opening session followed by five career-oriented workshops on:“How to Create an Award Winning Presentation,” “First Impressions Mean Everything,” “Time Management: First Things First”, “Creating a Plan for Success” and “Breaking The Spirit of Average.”

The event will end with an awards luncheon at 12 noon. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Cheryl Dozier, associate provost of the University of Georgia’s Office of Institutional Diversity in Athens.

Also, the state winners from eight events will be announced during the luncheon. About 200 of the students participated in regional and state competition held in February. The events include: public speaking, decision-making skills, employability skills, creative problem-solving skills, outstanding leadership, community service, cover design, and outstanding chapter manual.

JGG is a state affiliate of the national organization, Jobs for America’s Graduates, Inc. (JAG). JAG is one of the longest-running school-to-work transition programs in existence today. There are 33 high schools throughout the state implementing the JGG program to high school students who have educational as well as personal barriers to employment.

The services that JGG provides include: employability skills training, career development training, leadership and self-development skills, counseling, service learning and 12 months of placement and follow up services. The class of 2010 had a graduation rate of 96 percent and a further-education rate of 63 percent.