REED Summit to focus on public sector careers

As the community and economic development manager for Georgia Power, Rope Roberts knows the labor shortages businesses are experiencing and the job growth opportunities available to the workforce.

According to the Georgia Department of Labor, the unemployment rate for the Georgia Mountains Area is 3.2% while the state is 4.4%. The Georgia Mountains area includes Banks, Dawson, Forsyth, Franklin, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, and White counties. Combined with 447,288 job postings from January to July 2021, it means employers are having a hard time hiring.

"We don't have enough people to fill the empty positions," he said. "We need people in the hospitality services, manufacturing and business sectors. I need every single student at the University of North Georgia (UNG) to finish their degrees and enter the workforce."

With that awareness, Roberts commends UNG's investment in linking employers and job seekers through the Regional Education and Economic Development (REED) Summit.

Introducing high school, technical college, and university students to various career paths available in their home communities and connecting them with employers is a goal of the REED Summit, Bobbi Larson, (UNG) director of economic development, said.  Another is bringing awareness to the careers in a specific field and examining trends.

UNG will showcase public sector careers at the summit on Sept. 9 in the Convocation Center on the Dahlonega Campus. Tickets are $25 for event floor seats. Seats in the bleachers will be free and open to UNG faculty, staff and students. To purchase tickets, visit https://go.ung.edu/reed-summit.

With the theme "North Georgia Serves and Protects," the fourth annual event will focus on government, criminal justice, and nonprofits. Experts in these fields will talk about developing trends, challenges, job opportunities and educational pathways.  

The opening keynote speaker will be John Hancock, who has been president and CEO of Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia since 2018. JA is the world's largest organization dedicated to educating students in grades kindergarten through 12 about financial literacy, workforce readiness and entrepreneurship. 

The lunch keynote speaker is John F. King, the first Hispanic statewide official as the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire commissioner. A major general in the U.S. Army National Guard, King previously worked as an officer with the Atlanta Police Department and police chief in Doraville, Georgia. 

Other speakers and panelists include state Sen. Steve Gooch; Forsyth County manager Kevin Tanner; FBI Cyber Crime investigator Mark Reinke; and Debra Lam, managing director of Smart Cities and Inclusive Innovation.

Two hour-long sessions will occur in the morning while the afternoon will feature breakout sessions. The resource fair will kick off the REED Summit.

Larson encourages students, faculty and staff to attend the in-person affair to connect and network with employers.

"The most value comes with follow-up," Larson said. "UNG students can follow up at the public safety career fair in October, or contact UNG's Career Services to learn more about the businesses."

Roberts, who has been a sponsor and participant in the REED Summit since the first event in 2018, believes each conference has increased the collaborative spirit between the business community, K12 and technical college education partners, and UNG.

"UNG is doing more than producing a high-quality workforce," he said. "It is conducting studies and using its resources to find answers to the community's problems."