Workforce program promises career pathways for Augusta area

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Augusta area has been chosen as a federal workforce hub.

The workforce hub designation – intended to enhance training for good-paying jobs – is part of the Biden administration’s “Investing in America” agenda. The focus is jobs created by the American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act.

Mayor Garnett Johnson’s office said he “will engage community and corporate stakeholders” to enhance the efforts.

The Biden administration says it will partner with employers, schools and others to “ensure a diverse and skilled workforce can meet the demand for labor.”

Also chosen as hubs were Phoenix; Columbus, Ohio; Baltimore; and Pittsburgh. Each community is centered on a key industry.

In choosing Augusta, the administration cited the diverse population along with Fort Gordon, the Medical College of Georgia and the Savannah River Site. The administration says Augusta is at the forefront of the administration’s “sustainable domestic production agenda,” with $1.4 billion in recently announced private-sector investments, including in batteries.

The administration will work to expand apprenticeship programs, grow career and technical education programs and help underrepresented students and workers, especially in the clean energy industry.

Augusta leaders look forward to partnering with the White House and regional stakeholders to “train a workforce that will be ready and capable to meet the needs and requirements of employers in various industries,” Johnson said in a statement.

Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.