http://aerospace.georgiainnovation.org/highlights Wed, 21 Mar 2007 13:25:29 GMT Feature Projects for Aerospace /highlights/details/25 After signing an historic Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue on Tuesday, March 20, USAF Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Owen led a fact-finding tour of Georgia Tech facilities for the Warner Robins AFB's senior staff and engineering directorate. Owen, Commander of Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, was briefed by the Georgia Electronic Design Center's Director, Dr. Joy Laskar, on emerging micro- and millimeter-wave radio frequency technologies and applications that are revolutionizing the commercial electronics marketplace. At the Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, Dr. Daniel Schrage demonstrated how the school's "system of systems" engineering practice expertise can be brought to bear upon the complex aerospace systems management environment of both Air Logistics Centers and "new start" aerospace and aviation programs. Joining Commander Owen for the briefings was W. Michael Hatcher, director of engineering, and Alan Mathis, director of program planning. The two senior DOD officials are responsible to the Commander and the Air Force Material Command for technology and workforce planning and integration. Nick Fuhrman, Director of the Georgia Aerospace Innovation Center, could not be more pleased with the interactions that took place between the state's leading aerospace technology research institution and the state's largest single industrial complex, Warner Robins AFB. "Without speaking for either the Air Force or Georgia Tech, it's obvious we have considerable work to do together and a phenomenal basis for the Cooperative Research and Development Agreement General Owen and Governor Perdue just signed," Fuhrman said. Wed, 21 Mar 2007 13:25:29 GMT /highlights/details/25 info@georgiainnovation.org /highlights/details/27 WARNER ROBINS - June 5, 2007 - 20 Georgia Science and Math teachers are touring the Georgia Centers of Innovation this week, stopping by the Aerospace Innovation Center in Warner Robins. Thu, 07 Jun 2007 14:36:59 GMT /highlights/details/27 info@georgiainnovation.org /highlights/details/49 *BASE TO PLAY ROLE IN SUPPORT OF JOINT CARGO AIRCRAFT* By Gene Rector - grector@macon.com The Macon Telegraph A Georgia Army National Guard official confirmed Tuesday that Robins Air Force Base will play a significant role in supporting the Defense Department's newest airlift weapon system, the Joint Cargo Aircraft. The process will start in February when a Georgia ANG unit - H Company, 171st, 78th Aviation Troop Command - begins training at Robins, to be followed by a permanent move in May. The 171st currently flies four C-23 Sherpas but will transition to the Joint Cargo Aircraft, designated the C-27J. The unit is presently based at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta. Army Col. Brent Bracewell also confirmed that Robins has been selected by the Joint Cargo Aircraft prime contractor, L3 Communications, as the initial air crew training site for Army, Air Force, reserve component and foreign air crew members. The "schoolhouse" must be operational in 2009, although the contractor intends to start at least some of the training in 2008, according to the colonel. Bracewell fills a dual-hatted position for the Georgia ANG as state aviation officer and commander of the 78th ATC. "As part of its proposal, L3 had to choose a pilot training location for the first five years of the contract," he said by telephone from Atlanta on Tuesday. "They chose Robins because they came down there and it made their mouth water - those beautiful hangars and other facilities all vacant." Locations in Alabama, West Virginia and Arkansas competed for the training mission, the state ANG official added. Robins officials declined to immediately confirm the news. Spokesman John Birdsong said he had heard that C-27 operations might be coming to the base. "But, unfortunately, we have not been officially notified through Air Force channels," he related in an e-mail late Tuesday. "Therefore, a comment at this time is not appropriate." A contractor team of L-3, Boeing and Alenia North America - part of Italy's Finmeccanica - won a $2 billion contract in June for 78 aircraft - 54 to the Army and 24 for the Air Force. The Army will use the new airlifter to replace its aging C-12s, C-23s and C-26s. The C-27 will complement the Air Force's C-130 fleet. Bracewell said both the 171st and the Joint Cargo Aircraft schoolhouse will occupy state-owned facilities at Robins vacated in 2002 when the Georgia Air National Guard's 116th Bomb Wing was deactivated and its aircraft transferred to other locations. The expansive facilities include three aircraft maintenance hangars, various specialty shops and administrative space. Georgia has given the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center temporary clearance to use two of the hangars for C-130 modifications, although that workload will give way as the JCA mission increases. The 171st will occupy the third hangar. Coming to Robins makes so much sense for the 171st, Bracewell said. "Aviation in the Georgia Army Guard is growing by leaps and bounds. Right now, we have 13 Black Hawk (UH-60) helicopters and we'll get 11 more by 2009 and I have to put them somewhere," he said. "Plus Robins offers good weather, ramp space, hangars and a low-level training route." Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Ron Smith said he had not seen a formal announcement but labeled the decision "great news." He credited state officials with doing a very good job to bring it about. Smith, a former Warner Robins ALC commander, is a consultant to the 21st Century Partnership, a Middle Georgia agency of civic, business and political leaders focused on supporting Robins and its assigned units. "This is a great mission, a new mission," Smith stressed. "It will be across the Guard, Reserve and joint services. And it could be a stepping stone to other things, including how the Joint Cargo Aircraft will be sustained." Robins is already the Air Force's airlift center, providing worldwide support for the nation's fleet of C-130s, C-5s and C-17s. The move is also timely, since Robins will lose a key flying unit by this spring: the 19th Air Refueling Group, with its 13 KC-135 tanker aircraft and about 500 people. The 171st will be the first Defense Department unit to get the new, twin-engined C-27J, receiving the first aircraft in September. "The second aircraft should follow in January of 2009 and two more the latter part of 2010," Bracewell said. Including aircraft used by L3 for air crew training, Robins eventually will have up to 10 C-27s. According to a site survey request filed by planning officials on base, the C-27J contingent will include 17 full-time and 35 part-time individuals assigned to the 171st, plus 19 L3 maintenance workers and 50 contract flight instructors. The 78th ATC commander said the air crew training mission is particularly exciting. "The international piece could be huge," he speculated. "Over 20 countries have decided to buy the C-27J. It really kicked off when the U.S. came on line. The potential for growth is incredible." Some countries can't afford the larger C-130, the colonel pointed out. "The C-27J has the same cockpit and engines as the C-130 and it lifts more proportionately," he said. Robins could lose the training mission after the initial five-year period. "There will be a business case analysis conducted to determine where it should be long term," Bracewell acknowledged, "and I am sure the other locations will be reviewed again. But we feel confident that once L3 establishes its simulator and training school at Robins, it will be very difficult for anyone to offer a proposal that would beat it." To contact writer Gene Rector, call 923-3109, extension 239. Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:49:02 GMT /highlights/details/49 info@georgiainnovation.org /highlights/details/77 Vortex Control Eagletsâ„¢ are an award winning safety innovation developed to prevent and tame the violent behavior known as stall. They were invented and developed by Chuck Dixon, an American Bonanza Society member, a veteran pilot and Aerospace Engineer. VC Eaglets are stingray-shaped leading edge devices (LEDs) that provide roll damping, to control excessive roll at high angles of attack (AOA) near- and post-stall. Dixon observes that roll is often the first aircraft response to a stall, and can occur so suddenly that there is little time for the pilot to respond, even with adequate roll authority. Moreover, even highly experienced pilots struggle with a stallâ€&trade;s “reverse aileron” effect, which can make the aircraft do the opposite of what the pilot expects, and risk losing roll control altogether. With VC Eaglets installed, the ailerons continue to function according to pilot demand, throughout even a very deep stall. In recent flight tests at the National Test Pilot School (NTPS) at the Civilian Flight Test Center in Mojave, California, Dixonâ€&trade;s VC Eaglets demonstrated that low-drag stall mitigation and roll control are effortlessly provided by this single aerodynamic structural modification. The NTPS Director, Sean Roberts, a test pilot with 45 years of test flight experience, and more than 18,000 flight hours, flew several flight tests with VC Eaglets on both Derringer and Bonanza aircraft. “No matter how I put the airplane into a stall, with the VC Eaglets installed, I was able to control the aircraft under any condition,” said Roberts. “With the Eaglets, there are major improvements in flying qualities, and the stall handling of the aircraft is significantly improved.” The genius of the VC Eaglets is that the vortex flow is not created until the wing approaches stall angle of attack, so there is little or no drag penalty for AOAs up to maximum Lift to Drag ratio (L/DMAX). Because the VC Eaglets create drag only approaching stall AOA, they can replace traditional vortex generators and wing-mounted “stall strip” devices-- reducing drag, decreasing stall speed, and increasing fuel efficiency. “The VC Eaglets are an elegant solution to a difficult problem,” said Ed Murphy, one of two Entrepreneur Outreach Specialists from Georgiaâ€&trade;s “e2e works” program who are working with Dixon to bring the VC Eaglets to market. Murphy and his team mate Andy Helm are serial entrepreneurs themselves, and provide technical advice and business savvy to help Georgia entrepreneurs like Dixon take their businesses to the next level. “The experience these guys have is just fantastic,” said Dixon. “We couldnâ€&trade;t have gotten better advice if weâ€&trade;d paid thousands and thousands of dollars for it.” Dixon recounts his own near-death experience 30 years ago as the incident that really sparked his interest in vortices. “Six of us Lockheed engineers were flying into Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia in a small twin engine aircraft. We flew into the wake vortex of a Lockheed C-5 as we were landing. The airplane rolled almost 90 degrees when we were only 20 feet off the runway. Fortunately, the pilot recovered in time to land safely. Needless to say, we all went back to work determined to learn more about vortex flow. Some worked on methods of eliminating the trailing vortex, but I went to work trying to find ways to make the vortex work for us.” After years of studying vortices, Dixon retired from Lockheed-Martin and founded Consulting Aviation Services Inc. (CAS). The company developed unique preliminary design software that accurately predicts the pre- and post-stall aerodynamic characteristics of any airframe. Dixon used this software to develop the VC Eaglets which he calls “fighter technology for general aviation aircraft.” Currently, CAS and NTPS are in the process of obtaining Special Type Certificates (STCs) for installing the VC Eaglets on the single-engine Bonanza; this will be followed by STCs for Barons. An FAA official who accompanied Roberts on a VC Eaglets test flight in the Bonanza V-35 said, “You need to get this concept certified! It will save lives.” “Georgiaâ€&trade;s leading position in aerospace depends on developing products like the VC Eaglets that are truly unique and meet real operational needs” said Nick Fuhrman, Director of Georgiaâ€&trade;s Aerospace Innovation Center. “We work to accelerate growth in the industry by integrating aerospace industry expertise, research and development innovations, and state resources.” In recognition of the VC Eagletâ€&trade;s potential to increase safety of flight and save lives, Georgiaâ€&trade;s Aerospace Innovation Center awarded Dixon the 2007 Ben T. Epps Aviation trophy for Outstanding Aerospace Invention. Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:08:41 GMT /highlights/details/77 info@georgiainnovation.org /highlights/details/81 *A day in Aircraft Maintenance Sponsored by Middle Georgia Technical College In partnership with ASA airlines and TIMCO By Joseph Marks, Director of Materials* On November 18th 2008 a combination of twenty Guidance Counselors and Teachers from Warner Robins Georgia, Houston County School System, participated in a tour of MGTC, ASA, and TIMCO to experience a day in aircraft maintenance. The day began at MGTC with a presentation by Gene Daub and Tal Loos (MGTC) covering education and academic requirements for students entering a career in aviation. The tour later was transported by bus to ASA Airlines where Barry Rowland, ASA Macon Facility Manager, had a presentation covering careers in aviation for a regional air carrier. Barry listed the benefits and privileges of being an airline employee, followed by a tour of the maintenance facility to observe maintenance being performed on two aircraft. The ASA tour ended and the tour moved to the TIMCO Macon facility where Andy Bell, Macon Recruiter, and Joe Marks, Director Materials, led the tour on an MRO maintenance experience. Some of the highlights were AMTâ€&trade;s and Structures personnel who previously graduated from MGTC and are now working in aviation, presented their views and satisfaction from their experience of school and working on aircraft. It was a great moment seeing former students and MGTC instructors connecting. You could sense the pride in the instructors who did the training and the student who now is benefiting from that training and experience. The whole group was impressed and later stated that this day was truly an experience that was worth their time, and gave them the knowledge of the aviation career field to pass on to their students. It is and continues to be my pleasure as a TIMCO employee and a representative of our state program Transportation Education Foundation of Georgia, to promote the opportunities in aircraft maintenance. As baby boomers grow older and the number of aviation workers shrinks, it is up to all of us in aviation to share the opportunities and our passion for the industry. In the past with airline down sizing and 9/11, and a lot of bad press about MROâ€&trade;s, it has tarnished the old days of glamour and pride of working in aviation. Those of us that have experienced those times remained in the industry, sometimes passing up non-aviation careers to stay in aviation. We are the ones that carry the passion of keeping our industry alive and well. Itâ€&trade;s a fraternity that will generate many conversations about experiences along the way, and a tight knit faction that will help each other to keepâ€&trade;em flying. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:41:54 GMT /highlights/details/81 info@georgiainnovation.org /highlights/details/39 The first Ben T. Epps Aerospace Innovation Trophies recognized the best and brightest in Georgia aviation October 20th in Athens. Awarded by Georgia's Center of Innovation for Aerospace, the three trophies recognize an inventor, an innovator and an educator, and are named to honor the 100th anniversary of the first powered flight by a Georgia resident. In 1907 eighteen-year-old Benjamin Thomas Epps used a 15-horsepower motorcycle engine to power his plane with one elongated wing and three bicycle wheels and took flight over a cow pasture near Athens, Georgia, a century ago this year. The celebration held Saturday, which included the innovation awards ceremony, served as the culmination of events held across the state during 2007 to commemorate the occasion. Consulting Aviation Services, Inc. in Kennesaw received the Outstanding Aerospace Invention of 2007 award for its Vortex Control Eaglets to prevent stall spin accidents. The Consulting Aviation Services Vortex Control Eaglets invention "is a major breakthrough, significantly improving the stall handling of light twin engine aircraft," according to Sean C. Roberts, director of the National Test Pilot School in California. "The Eaglets will have "a significant impact on the prevention of stall spin accidents," according to John Ralston, president of Bihrle Applied Research, Inc., a Hampton, VA firm which assesses aircraft stall and spin situations. Col. Gary Breedlove, U. S. Air Force JROTC instructor at Bainbridge High School, received the Outstanding Aerospace Educator of 2007 award. Breedlove took the curriculum into the cockpit collaborating with Chapter 445 of the Experimental Aircraft Association to take 100 students into the air to help inspire possible careers as pilots, aircraft mechanics and weather forecasters, according to Rep. Gene Maddox from Cairo. "He has taken the cadets one step further by stressing the importance of academic achievement, especially in math and science, in finding related opportunities in aerospace career fields." "Clearly the use of similar efforts in other schools might increase motivation by our young people to connect their academics to specific career opportunities," said Col. Greg C. Winn, USAF (Ret) Maxwell AFB AL. The Outstanding Aerospace Innovators award went to N-1 Gyro Depot Maintenance Line of the 402nd Electronics Maintenance Group at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center for the development of an innovative process which eliminated back orders, reduced work in process inventories by 50 percent and is readily adapted to other operations. Citing improved communication and collaboration coupled with increased production, Sandy Fox, director of the 848th Combat Sustainment Support Group, said the innovative process resulted in greatly improved customer support. "These process improvements can be easily duplicated in other repair, manufacturing and production processes," said 1st Lt. Christopher Lundell at Robins Air Force Base. "They are flexible enough to allow for quick adaptation to a number of different products and processes." "Georgia has become one of our nation's top ten employers in aerospace, a dynamic industry," said Nick Fuhrman, Executive Director of COI for Aerospace. "Ben Epps' spirit of adventure and determination has inspired generations of inventors and innovators." Fuhrman continued saying, "COI for Aerospace wanted to honor that spirit with these awards; it is something we plan to make an annual event." The Center of Innovation for Aerospace fosters innovation and growth of existing companies and start-up ventures, emphasizing applied research and development, education and workforce development with company and capital development, according to Fuhrman. For additional information go to <a href="http://www.aerospace.georgiainnovation.org">www.aerospace.georgiainnovation.org</a>. ### Mon, 22 Oct 2007 18:25:14 GMT /highlights/details/39 info@georgiainnovation.org /highlights/details/33 Look for the Georgia Centennial of Flight Welcome Center at this year's National Business Aviation Association convention at the Georgia World Congress Center September 25-27 in Atlanta. The Center of Innovation for Aerospace and the Georgia Department of Economic Development have partnered with NBAA to celebrate Georgia's Centennial of Flight at the 60th Annual Convention of NBAA. NBAA attracts over 30,000 industry registrants and exhibitors and this year's convention in Atlanta will be especially exciting. Static displays will be at Fulton County Airport with a number of special events scheduled at Peachtree Dekalb Airport. It's also Savannah-based Gulfstream Aerospace's 40th Anniversary since delivering its first G-I business jet in 1967. Sun, 09 Sep 2007 17:03:53 GMT /highlights/details/33 info@georgiainnovation.org /highlights/details/46 Changing landing gear often involves manhandling the gear into place, at a risk of injuring the aircraft professionals, and damaging the aircraft or the landing gear. Northwest Airlines wanted to find a better way, so they asked Jeff Barkes, of Rex, GA, to “come up with something” to make the process safer. Within a few months, Jeff designed and built the Omni Arm, an innovative tool to change landing gear assemblies more quickly and efficiently, while reducing damage to the gear and the aircraft, and eliminating injuries to the technicians. The first Omni Arm was built of bits of machinery that Jeff created, or salvaged from the Northwest bone yard. On the first try, removing the landing gear on a DC 9 took five minutes instead of four or five man hours! Jeff is not an engineer by trade, but a natural problem solver who asks good questions, listens to the input, and has the ability to create mechanical drawings of his designs, and produce them himself in his machine shop in Rex, Georgia. While considering the problems of changing out landing gear, he modeled the vertical portion of the Omni Arm after his body, then the arm and its collar as his arm, wrist and hand. The beauty of the machine is its simplicityâ€"it grasps the landing gear, lifts it up and out by way of an air driven hydraulic pump combined with extremely fine, multi axis, manual input articulation, and removes the gear much more rapidly and safely than doing it by hand. Depending on the size of the aircraft, what used to take 4-8 technicians using cranes or forklifts to transport the landing gear, and maneuver the gear into place, can now be accomplished by two technicians using just the Omni Arm to hold, transport, lift, and install or remove the gear. Today D-Check Developments has 52 Omni Arms in service at three airlines, various units in the U.S. and Canadian military forces, and two Original Equipment Manufacturers (Boeing and Lockheed). Currently, there are five Omni Arm models for various classes of aircraft, and 20 different attachments for the arm. 2008 is bringing lots of opportunities for D-Check Developments. The Aerospace Innovation Center is helping connect D-Check Development to the research engineers at GA Techâ€&trade;s School of Aerospace Engineering to help modify the Omni Arm for heavier aircraft such as the Airbus 320, Boeing 777, 747 and possibly the 787 Dreamliner. D-Check Development is also moving to a new facility where they will be able to increase their production to four Omni Arms a month, in addition to their other ground support equipment and machine shop fabrication work. Ed Murphy, an Entrepreneur Outreach Specialist with the Centers of Innovation, is working with D-Check on cost analysis for the new product development, and business practices, positioning D-Check to achieve prime contractor status with the military, and become part of the High Velocity Depot Maintenance initiative the AIC is working on. The Omni Arm is able to be very precisely controlled, to within a thousandth of a inch. If youâ€&trade;re not familiar with engineering terms, thereâ€&trade;s a better way to demonstrate this idea. Jeff was making a sales presentation one day, indoors, and without a landing gear. Rather than rely on the customerâ€&trade;s imagination, Jeff put a bottle of wine wrapped in a white napkin into the collar at the end of the Omni Arm, and proceeded to pour wine with the machine, without spilling a drop. Needless to say, he made his point and he made the sale! Thu, 17 Jan 2008 21:20:44 GMT /highlights/details/46 info@georgiainnovation.org /highlights/details/78 Middle Georgia College's Aviation Campus in Eastman will connect center with students, researchers, industry ATLANTA, September 2, 2008â€" Georgia's Center of Innovation for Aerospace has established its headquarters at Middle Georgia College's Aviation Campus. The Eastman location, a thriving hub for aerospace technology and workforce development, will open up new opportunities for the Center to accelerate growth in Georgia's aerospace industry. "Locating at Middle Georgia College's Aviation Campus allows us to tap into its extensive aerospace resources," said Sterling Wharton, director of the Centers of Innovation, part of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. "Access to a well-educated workforce, several on-site laboratories and Eastman's existing aviation assets will enhance the State's capacity to continue to support the aerospace industry in Georgia." Middle Georgia College offers degrees in aerospace programs including Flight (both fixed wing and helicopter), Air Traffic Control, Aircraft Structural Technology, and Aviation Maintenance. The Eastman campus's focus on aviation has attracted several aerospace companies to the area, including Tower Aerospace and Aircraft Manufacturing and Development. The partnership between the Center of Innovation for Aerospace and the Aviation Campus allows the center's clients to utilize one of the country's fastest-growing aviation programs for applied research, testing and training. The center is headed by director Nick Fuhrman, and will continue its strong collaboration and presence on Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins. "The University System of Georgia is committed to meeting the needs of Georgia's strategic industries, including the aviation industry," said University System Chancellor Erroll B. Davis, who is also a Centers of Innovation Board Member. "The new partnership between the COI-Aerospace and Middle Georgia College, the state's public aviation college, will strengthen both organizations and help Georgia design comprehensive approaches to meeting industry needs." The Center of Innovation for Aerospace was launched in Warner Robins in 2003 as part of the Centers of Innovation program created by Governor Sonny Perdue. Each of Georgia's six Centers of Innovation is hosted by a university in the state, providing technology-oriented businesses and entrepreneurs direct access to university research and development. New research initiatives and start-up enterprises are supported through the center's incubator program, and more established companies benefit through innovative programs created to meet their evolving needs. More than 80,000 workers work in aerospace product and parts manufacturing in Georgia, and the state is home to some 200 of the industry's leading companies, including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Gulfstream. The Centers of Innovation (COI) program focuses on six areas of strategic industry growth and expansion: agriculture, aerospace, energy, life sciences, logistics and manufacturing, located respectively in Tifton, Eastman, Atlanta, Augusta, Savannah and Gainesville. COI's services include access to deep industry expertise and university-level research; product commercialization, and client connections to key state resources including potential investor networks. For more information, visit www.georgiainnovation.org. The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, video and music projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development. Maggie Large Communications Specialist Georgia Department of Economic Development 75 Fifth Street NW, Suite 1200 Atlanta, GA 30308 http://www.georgia.org mlarge@georgia.org o: 404.962.4830 c: 404.683.6590 f: 404.962.4076 Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:48:48 GMT /highlights/details/78 info@georgiainnovation.org /highlights/details/47 Governor Perdue Announces Work Ready Region Grants Georgia Regions Will Work Together to Strengthen Strategic Industries ATLANTA â€" Governor Sonny Perdue today awarded $3.5 million in grants to seven Georgia regions committed to becoming Work Ready Regions. These regions bring together their assets and leaders to create regional talent pools targeting existing strategic industries and to increase economic development opportunities. “The Work Ready Regions initiative is being led by businesses and will link workforce, education and economic development to ensure Georgiaâ€&trade;s workforce is our stateâ€&trade;s number one competitive advantage,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “This effort will drive continued growth and prosperity throughout the state.” The seven Work Ready Regions grant recipients include: * Northwest Georgia for automotive advanced manufacturing (Catoosa, Chattooga, Floyd, Gordon, Murray, Polk, Paulding, Walker and Whitfield Counties) * Western central Georgia for aerospace advanced manufacturing (Chattahoochee, Harris, Muscogee, Quitman, Stewart, Talbot and Taylor Counties) * Middle Georgia for aerospace advanced manufacturing (Bibb, Bleckley, Houston, Peach and Pulaski Counties * Middle Georgia for advanced manufacturing (Dodge, Johnson, Laurens, Telfair, Treutlen, Wheeler and Wilkinson Counties) * Eastern Georgia for logistics, distribution and warehousing (Bryan, Bulloch and Candler Counties) * Western Georgia for automotive advanced manufacturing (Carroll, Coweta, Douglas, Haralson, Harris, Heard, Meriwether, Talbot, Troup and Upson Counties) * Northeast Georgia for bioscience Barrow, Clarke, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Jackson, Madison, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe and Walton Counties) Additional counties may be added to some regions as the Work Ready Region process proceeds. The potential Work Ready Regions will each receive a $500,000 grant to assist in increasing the skill level of its workforce. Specifically, increasing the number of individuals in the workforce holding a Work Ready Certificate, ensuring each county in the region earns Certified Work Ready Community status, encouraging local employers to complete Work Ready job profiles and providing specialized training for the existing workforce. “These regions will develop the future workforce pipeline for these identified growth industries by continuing to increase the regional high school graduation rate and establishing life-long learning through a seamless career pathway from high school through the stateâ€&trade;s two- and four-year colleges,” said Governor Perdue. Each regional effort is being led by a local businessperson associated with the strategic industry, according to Debra Lyons, director of the Governorâ€&trade;s Office of Workforce Development (GOWD). This leader will work closely with GOWD to ensure continuity of efforts among the various regions, and will assemble an industry network to ensure the regionâ€&trade;s work plan meets the needs of the industry, both current and future. In addition, six other Georgia regions have been awarded membership in the Work Ready Region Policy Academy. Lyons said local leaders will learn how to access and use economic development and workforce data to identify the best strategic industry for their region, develop an overall regional work plan and prepare for the next round of Work Ready Region grants. “Work Ready has the potential to propel our state's economic growth," said George M. Israel, III, president & CEO of the 4,100-member Georgia Chamber of Commerce. “By bringing our regions together, committed to a common goal, Georgia can enhance its role as a player in the highly competitive race to attract new industry.” Georgiaâ€&trade;s Work Ready initiative is based upon a skills assessment and certification for job seekers and a job profiling system for businesses. By identifying both the needs of business and the available skills of Georgiaâ€&trade;s workforce, the state can more effectively generate the right talent for the right jobs. For more information on the Work Ready initiative please visit the Web site at www.gaworkready.org Thu, 17 Jan 2008 21:34:31 GMT /highlights/details/47 info@georgiainnovation.org