AT&T announced this week, that Savannah Technical College Foundation won a total of $15,000 for third place in of the inaugural $20k for 2020 workforce development competition. Savannah Technical College Foundation competed with six other organizations from across the state to generate social media activity in support of their work in the community.

“All of the organizations who were competing in AT&T’s $20k for 2020 competition are true assets in their communities, doing the vital work to identify and address the needs of our workforce here in Georgia,” said Bill Leahy, president of AT&T Georgia. “The response from the communities associated with this competition makes it clear that the skills that these organizations are developing in Georgians all across the state are invaluable.”

Savannah Technical College’s competition entry featured a two-minute video about the City of Savannah’s Summer 500 program. (www.vimeo/savannahtech/summer500). During the nine-week Summer 500 program, participating students invested at least 32 hours per week, split between direct work experiences (Monday-Thursday) with their mentoring employer. Fridays were reserved for leadership development, career pathway training and mentoring at Savannah Technical College.  Summer 500 students, who have attended classes STC on Fridays, will earn both high school and college credit for Interpersonal Relations and Professional Development (EMPL 1000) through Move On When Ready.

“The business community has long been a strong partner of workforce development initiatives in the state, and it is encouraging and exciting to see this kind of creative approach by AT&T to highlight the hard work being done by educators and students across Georgia. Hard work that is keeping Georgia attractive to employers who are bringing quality careers to the Peach State,” said State Senator Butch Miller.

With the state’s recent ranking as the number one state in which to do business, AT&T’s $20k for 2020 competition is designed to highlight organizations that are engaged in education and workforce development efforts around Georgia. In this, the first year of the competition, organizations from communities across the state were recognized for their work to engage business, community and educational leaders to address local workforce needs and further position Georgia as the best place to do business in the country.

Lanier Technical College and Dekalb Workforce Development finished first and second respectively in the final tally. The other remaining organizations that competed for the $20k for 2020 prize were:

· Albany Technical College

· Chattahoochee Technical College – Veterans Center

· Communities in Schools – Augusta/Richmond County

· Middle Georgia Regional Commission