MADE in DeKalb
Decide DeKalb is leading the charge in workforce development with the MADE in DeKalb program.
MADE in DeKalb is bridging a widening gap between the skills of potential workers and the industries creating more jobs in the manufacturing and distribution sector here in Georgia. It’s estimated, in a 2024 report by Deloitte, that 1.9 million jobs could sit unfilled due to this critical lack of skilled workforce.
Decide DeKalb is helping to train the next “tool belt generation” by tackling this issue head-on with the MADE in DeKalb program. Through this program, educators and students learn about industries with local jobs, such as PepsiCo, Sugar Bowl Bakery, and Universal Steel and others. Educators in the program are able to take this information back to their students and create lessons with the real-world skills needed to launch them into technical schools and the workforce. Joshua Williams, Business Relations Specialist at Decide DeKalb, says “MADE in DeKalb is significant because it exposes educators and students to industries that traditionally haven’t had a lot of exposure or buy-in. It helps students see that the work they’re doing in school can lead to not just a job, but a successful career.”
In a video interview, David Johnson, an engineering teacher at Dunwoody High School, explained that “Going out and being face to face with industry, going in there talking to their people and seeing what their industry is, what their particular niche in the market is, and what skills they need, particularly for entry level students, totally transformed the way we are approaching our education in the classroom. Ultimately, the kids are the benefactors.”
Burt Jones, the Lieutenant Governor of Georgia, addresses this need in Filling The Gaps by Patty Rasmussen in our October issue when he said “We need to ensure that resources are available and barriers are removed when Georgians transition from school to work. A return to vocational training, practical skills training and real-world experience is critical to ensuring we have a competitive and growing workforce.”
As it becomes a more mainstream realization that attending a traditional four-year college is not for everyone, MADE in DeKalb and the Technical College System of Georgia are staying focused on creating a skilled workforce able to fill jobs and strengthen the region’s economy for years to come.
