County officials and civic leaders gathered Tuesday at Black Creek Golf Course in Ellabell to celebrate the recent announcement that Bryan County is officially Georgia Work Ready certified.

Bryan County Commission Chairman Jimmy Burnsed said being certified shows the county has a qualified workforce. He also said the certification speaks to businesses presently located here, as well as those looking to come into the county.

“That’s why it’s so critical and particularly as we come out of this recession, I think there will be more and more businesses looking to locate in Bryan County and the work ready certification is just another arrow in our quiver to get them to locate here,” Burnsed said.

To receive the certification, counties must meet a certificate goal by administering assessment tests to various business employees and high school seniors, and must meet a high school graduation rate goal, said Cecelia Buckner, communities outreach manager for the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development.

“You not only met your certificate and graduation rate goal, you exceeded it,” Buckner told the crowd Tuesday. “We at the governor’s office are extremely proud of Bryan County.”

The advantages of becoming Work Ready certified, Buckner said, include transforming the county’s economy by attracting new businesses and jobs, equipping citizens with the skills needed to find a job and more. It also matches the right people with the right jobs.

Read more in the Nov. 30 edition of the News.