GeorgiaBEST honorees pictured sitting, from left, are Zaid Richardson, RuZhen Zou Watson, Hilbeen Akrayee, Nancy Babb, Tiffany Miller, Stephanie Williams, and Jenny Vaughn. Standing, from left, are Delle Copeland, interpreter; Charlotte Pierce, interpreter; Cecilia Slaton, GNTC Adult Education instructional aide; Jessica Nguyen, GNTC Adult Education transition coordinator; Connie Smith, GNTC vice president of Adult Education; Rhonda Gore-Dennis, GNTC Adult Education instructor; Janice Shea, GNTC Adult Education lead teacher, and Marla Cole, GNTC student staff
After visiting Northwest Georgia in February to honor the first students to complete the GeorgiaBEST certification program statewide, State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler’s workplace soft skills initiative received seven more certifications Wednesday, courtesy of Georgia Northwestern Technical College.
GNTC’s Vice President of Adult Education Connie Smith was on hand to award the latest GeorgiaBEST honorees. Hilbeen Akrayee, Nancy Babb, Tiffany Miller, Zaid Richardson, Jenny Vaughn, Stephanie Williams, and RuZhen Zou Watson were officially certified in a mid-week ceremony on the college’s Floyd County campus for completing the program.
GeorgiaBEST teaches soft skills.
These are skills every worker in today’s workforce will use to be successful. The program, which first launched in 2012, teaches the keys to discipline and character, attendance and punctuality, work habits, teamwork, time management, attitude, communication skills, responsibility, and organization.
“We are proud of our collaboration with the Georgia Department of Labor and our efforts to prepare students for college and for the workplace,” said Ms. Smith. In September 2014, Georgia Northwestern Technical College was the first technical college within the state’s Technical College System of Georgia to bring the job skills program on campus.
In an interview earlier this year, Mr. Butler stated the importance of GeorgiaBEST in the growth of the state’s workforce, one person at a time. “What they’ve achieved will definitely improve their opportunities for success in life,” said Mr. Butler. “And, with our continuing affiliation with Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s Adult Education program, many more students from this region will also get the opportunity to use GeorgiaBEST to improve their outlooks for success.”