8/10/2009
Georgia Libraries
Play Bigger Role in
Helping People Find Work
Georgia’s public
libraries have always
been great resources for
job seekers, but they
are about to take on an
even bigger role in
helping unemployed
Georgians find work.
Beginning in September,
39 public library
systems across the state
will help citizens sign
up for Be Work Ready, a
program that will give
them access to free
training and assessment
tools and allow them to
earn monetary incentives
as they refine current
skills and learn new
ones.
Part of the Georgia Work
Ready program that was
established by
Gov. Sonny Perdue
in 2006, Be Work Ready
is a one-of-a-kind
initiative that
encourages unemployed
Georgians to earn a Work
Ready Certificate or to
improve their skills
levels through free,
online skills gap
training. Funding for
the initiative comes
from the American
Recovery and
Reinvestment Act.
When an individual earns
a bronze-, silver- or
gold level Work Ready
Certificate, they are
eligible for a $50
incentive; those who
earn a platinum-level
certificate are eligible
for $100. When
individuals improve
their Work Ready
Certificate levels in
any way, they are
eligible for a $100
incentive. The incentive
can be used to offset
expenses incurred by
their job search. The
program is based on the
nationally accredited
WorkKey® assessment
developed by ACT Inc.
(formerly the American
College Testing
Program), a
not-for-profit
organization that
provides assessment,
research and information
services in education
and workforce
development.
The opportunity to earn
a Work Ready Certificate
is offered at no cost
via the state’s network
of technical colleges
and validates an
individual’s skill and
knowledge levels to
potential employers.
When an individual is
ready to start the Be
Work Ready program, a
trained staff member
from a participating
library will create a
personal account for
them within the KeyTrain®
database. This user
account provides the
student access to the
KeyTrain® software and
allows the database to
keep track of their
progress. Once an
account has been
created, the student can
use any computer with
Internet access to
complete their specific
objectives. Once courses
are completed, students
can schedule certificate
tests at any local
technical college.
Library systems
participating in Be Work
Ready are as follows:
Athens Regional,
Atlanta-Fulton, Bartow
County, Brooks County,
Catoosa County,
Chattooga County,
Chattahoochee Valley
Regional, Cherokee
Regional, Chestatee
Regional, Clayton
County, Cobb County,
Conyers-Rockdale, DeSoto
Trail Regional, Elbert
County, Hart County,
Hall County, Henry
County, Houston County,
Jefferson County,
Kinchafoonee Regional,
Lake Blackshear
Regional, Live Oak,
Newton County, Northeast
Georgia Regional,
Ohoopee Regional, Peach
County, Piedmont
Regional, Pine Mountain
Regional, Roddenbery
Memorial, Sara Hightower
Regional, Sequoyah
Regional, Southwest
Georgia Regional,
Statesboro Regional,
Thomas County,
Troup-Harris Regional,
Twin Lakes, Uncle Remus
Regional, West Georgia
Regional and Worth
County.
For additional
information about the
program and its
components, visit
www.gaworkready.org,
www.begaworkready.org
and
www.keytrain.com.
For more information on KeyTrain products,
contact:
Thinking Media
Phone 877.842.6205
Fax 423.266.2111
www.keytrain.com
info@keytrain.com
