Gov. Nathan Deal today announced eight new Certified Work Ready Communities of Excellence and one new Certified Work Ready Community, a designation communicating a county has the skilled workforce needed to meet business demands and drive economic growth, as well as the educational foundation to build a pipeline of workers ready to create ongoing success.

“By building strong public-private partnerships, these communities are transforming their workforces and encouraging economic development,” said Deal. “The Georgians in these communities are taking charge of their futures and equipping themselves for success.”

The eight new Certified Work Ready Communities of Excellence areCherokee, Clay, Glynn, Jones, Macon, Miller, Randolph, and Tift counties.The new Certified Work Ready Community isCrawford County. These counties represent the 12th group to complete their Work Ready Certificate goals and successfully meet at least the required minimum increase in their county’s public high school graduation rate.

To earn the Certified Work Ready Community designation, counties must demonstrate a commitment to improving public high school graduation rates through a measurable increase, and show a specified percentage of the available and current workforce has obtained Work Ready Certificates.

Each community created a team of economic development, government and education partners to meet the certification criteria. Counties are given three years to reach the goals necessary to earn the designation.

Lee County has reached its Work Ready certificate goal, and is now focusing on attaining its public high school graduation rate increase goal to become a Certified Work Ready Community.

Once counties attain their Certified Work Ready Community goals, they are able to maintain their status by ensuring that their available workforce continues to earn Work Ready Certificates, engages local businesses to recognize and use Work Ready, and continues to increase their public high school graduation rate.

To continue their work, each county will receive a $10,000 grant. Their Work Ready Community teams will also receive a two-year membership to their local chamber of commerce and a budget for additional Work Ready outreach materials. Counties that are fully certified receive road signs and a seal denoting the year they achieved certification.