Workforce advocate Be Pro Be Proud launches in Georgia
A new approach to attract the next generation of Coastal Georgia’s skilled workforce is in an 18-wheeler.
The Be Pro Be Proud mobile workshop is a national movement to accelerate the country’s workforce and launched its efforts in the state through the Be Pro Be Proud Georgia exhibition Monday afternoon in the Plant River District in Downtown Savannah. Be Pro Be Proud has mobile workshops in Arkansas, New Mexico, Tennessee and Texas, among other states.
Inside the truck, high school students can engage in simulators and game stations to get a glimpse into careers, such as commercial truck driving and healthcare.
The demonstration encourages young people to pursue a career that is a skilled profession.
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“It just gives them an experience of what they may be doing if they were to choose that profession,” said Misti Martin, president and CEO of Be Pro Be Proud Georgia. “The same goes with welding. They're holding the wand in their hand and they are seeing metal being sewn together.”
Results from the regional workforce study conducted by Wadley Donovan Gutshaw Consulting were released November 2023 and showed the area does not have the talent pool to support the 15,000 jobs available by 2025. The study was done to determine workforce needs in the region.
Even worse, key professionals such as electricians and plumbers could drop off significantly as baby boomers in those careers are slated to retire in 2030, according to Chris Clark, president and CEO of the Georgia Chamber.
“We’ve spent 20 years telling every high school student they need a 4-year degree, so there's no pipeline to fill those jobs,” said Clark. “We've got to train up a whole generation quickly to fill those jobs that the baby boomers are going to leave.”
Be Pro Be Proud Georgia will continue its statewide initiative in Woodstock and LaGrange to name a few but Martin touted Savannah as the best place to kickoff the launch.
“We are excited with the growth you guys have seen in the Savannah region,” said Martin. “We've been in schools here in previous years and had very successful visits.”
During the introduction ceremony, Clark said 78% of high school students said they found value in skilled professions but 73% of those kids said their parents are forcing them to get to a degree, according to stats Clark said were issued by the Wall Street Journal. He added stereotypes around skilled jobs pushed young people away from certain industries.
“They are not being exposed to the value of those jobs, how much they pay and the skills that they need,” said Clark. “I think part of it is actually realizing it's not your father's manufacturing. It's clean tech, you're basically running robot and that is what we have to get across to kids - that these are the jobs of the future. We also have to start convincing parents to start showing the value in a technical college degree, certificates and these kind of jobs.
According to Indeed, the average pay for skilled labor is $19.95 an hour, a salary that puts purchasing a home out of reach. But Clark said laborers should rely on their skillset to rise through the ranks in their respective career to earn higher wages.
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“As long as you continue to get the skills you need, these companies are going to promote you,” said Clark. “Jobs that were paying $11 an hour six years ago are paying $33 an hour today. Great inflation is out there, right? You got to tackle that issue and tackle housing issues too but these companies are also getting better benefits, more flexibility and more training.”
But as young adults are introduced to these new skills, industries such as hospitality and fast food joints could see a decline in their workforce. Clark said cannibalization “isn’t preventable.”
“There's always going to be a natural job churn in the market,” said Clark. “Young men and women are always going to look for better opportunities as their skillsets get better. We've got enough people, what this community needs to focus on are those men and women that want to work that aren't at the able to right now ― people that have been incarcerated, foster kids, seniors that still want to work and veterans.”
Clark said an influx of newcomers have migrated from Pennsylvania while the state has also seen an increase in residents from New York, New Jersey and Florida.
“Some folks from nearby states will move to Atlanta; you just got to convince them to move down the coast,” said Clark. “But the more important part is taking care of those folks that live here already that want to work. How do we tear that barrier down and get them?”
Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Be Pro Be Proud comes to Georgia
