It may have been a Greek philosopher who first opined that “change is the only constant in life,” but no one knows it better today than Odie Donald, executive director of Coastal Workforce Services. Like his ancient predecessor Heraclitus, Odie is far from perturbed by the prevalence of change: He embraces it.

“The great thing about my daily routine is that there isn’t one,” Odie explains. “No day is the same. The needs of stakeholders in both Savannah and the overall region are extremely diverse.” Overseeing an organization dedicated to providing citizens with access to employment—and businesses with tools to connect with employees—is a tall order.

Coastal Workforce Services manages the delivery of Workforce Investment Act services throughout the ten-county coastal region, all the way from Bulloch in the north to Camden in the south, to Long in the west and to Chatham right here at home. These programs facilitated by Odie and his team offer Georgians “key assessments and the opportunity to improve their skills through training,” Odie explains. As for the business community, robust offerings from Coastal Workforce include help with identifying and retaining employees—a type of change key to professional success.

Odie takes the complex role of Coastal Workforce Services in serving the community as a matter of constant evolution. “Last week that involved working with local stakeholders to review the effectiveness of our service delivery,” Odie says, “while this week it involved coordinating the transition of employees negatively impacted by a layoff into a new opportunity with an expanding employer.”

But the changes at Coastal Workforce Services don’t just take place on a small scale, week by week—they’re community-wide, year by year. “Oversight of workforce programs recently moved to the Georgia Department of Economic Development,” Odie clarifies. “With that change, CWS must adjust our service model to enhance business services, manage funds more efficiently to serve more, and improve existing performance outcomes.” It’s a new role that makes for exciting times at Coastal Workforce, and one that Odie sees as in-line with the direction of both the federal government and the needs of the coastal region.

But progress isn’t limited to nationwide workforce policy. “Both nationally and locally the economy is changing. That change represents an opportunity for both jobseekers and employers,” Odie says. And it’s an opportunity that he and the highly capable team at Coastal Workforce Services intend to let you in on.

The best advice for job seekers? “Be visible, available, and engaged to those who currently (or will in the future) need your skills,” Odie remarks. “Through my organization alone there are a variety of opportunities for jobseekers to increase marketability, upgrade skills, or connect to partners offering a chance to volunteer, intern, and access services.” The key to obtaining (and hanging onto) employment is putting these resources to good use.

As for businesses seeking employees, it’s essential to utilize all the resources available. “There are a variety of services available throughout the coastal region,” Odie points out. “Explore them all.”

These resources run the gambit and, as change is the name of the game, are constantly evolving. “Many people confuse CWS with our service partners at the Georgia Department of Labor, local technical colleges, social service agencies and economic development authorities who all have business-friendly services,” Odie says. “But CWS is actually an access point that connects and enhances the services offered by each”—and the benefit of these goes on and on.

“No matter what industry a business operates in, the success of the organization comes down to whom it employs,” Odie says. (A truism for which he might likely be remembered thousands of years from now.) By utilizing services like those offered by Coastal Workforce, businesses have the access and data to make the right employment decision the first time around, increasing profitability and productivity from the get-go.

In the end, seeking employment and effectively staffing a business are matters of philosophy. Odie puts it simply: “Stay engaged.” Whether that means rolling with the tides of policy change or adapting to a rapidly evolving marketplace, it’s a message Heraclitus himself would embrace.

To learn more about the incredible team at Coastal Workforce Services, visit www.coastalworkforceservices.org.