The Union-Recorder
MILLEDGEVILLE —
Several weeks ago, Baldwin County was still inching slowly toward the goal of attaining Certified Work Ready Community status. Then, a concerted community effort was organized to focus on making it happen, and all indications point to it being successful. Leaders with the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce and Partners for Progress recognized the concern, met and organized and stepped up to formulate a plan to address the issue by getting the entire community involved in a Work Ready drive.
This type of effort from local leaders, both elected and non-elected officials, is just the kind that’s needed to get Baldwin County moving forward toward job creation and growth. It takes leadership to recognize an issue or concern and then organize with an effective plan to achieve the desired goal.
As the final numbers from the recent Work Ready drive are tallied, it looks as if Baldwin County will join the ranks of community’s across the state that have reached the Work Ready Community goal, hopefully utilizing the state economic development tool to the local community’s advantage in the long-run. Now, when businesses and industries are making their determination as to where they’ll locate with new jobs, whether Baldwin County is Work Ready won’t be a factor in the negative column. The same approach that addressed this local concern and the same level of community drive and spirit in getting behind the mission must continue in order to make continued gains in other areas like lowering the dropout rate, bringing jobs to the area and promoting and supporting local business development among others.
Those who took part and those who organized this recent effort are setting a sound example for others to follow — they saw a need, organized and addressed it, making the resolution tangible so that there will be concrete results to share with the community at-large.
Those who stepped up to the plate and gave a few hours of their time during the recent Work Ready drive should be commended, and hopefully their leadership, focus and dedication behind this project will carry over and spring forth with increased vigor in other facets of community growth.
