Georgia
Be Work Ready Initiative Fact Sheet
Be Work Ready - Overview
In
the face of the country’s economic crisis, Georgia has created a unique
response designed to help people jump start their job search and improve their
core job skills. Be Work Ready is a one-of-a-kind solution from the Governor’s
Office of Workforce Development (GOWD) that gives Georgians an incentive to
earn a Work Ready Certificate and improve their skills, positioning the state
to emerge from the recession faster and stronger. This incentive provides funds
to assist with job search expenses.
The Work Ready Certificate gives individuals a competitive advantage in the job market by validating their knowledge base to potential employers and setting them on a road toward the life-long learning that will help them land a job today and tackle tomorrow’s innovations.
Earning a Georgia Work Ready Certificate is free and convenient via the state’s
network of technical colleges. Individuals take the four part assessment –
focused on applied mathematics, reading for information, locating information
and work habits – and earn a Certificate at one of four levels –
platinum, gold, silver and bronze. The certificate tells employers that Work
Ready Certified job seekers possess the skills necessary to hit the ground running
and are ready to take on more challenging tasks.
There
are three easy steps to earn a Work Ready Certificate and take advantage of
the Be Work Ready incentive:
1. Complete the Work Force Ready Assessment
at your local school or technical college. When you receive your Work Ready
Certificate scores, create a public online account at www.act.org/myworkkeys/georgia/.
Be sure to record your Work Ready Certificate number for use in your Be Work
Ready application.
2.
Visit www.begaworkready.org to complete
a short questionnaire and apply for your incentive. Your incentive package should
arrive within two to four weeks.
3. Use your Work Ready Certificate in your job search to demonstrate to potential employers that you are ready to work. Your Be Work Ready financial incentive can be used to help fund your job search, prepare for a job interview or improve your skills to better position yourself for the job you want.
$50 Gift Card Qualifications:
1. You must be at least 18 years of age and a resident of Georgia.
2. You must have taken the Work Force Ready Assessment in Georgia sometime between September, 2008 and the present date in 2009. You must have gotten at least a Bronze level on the assessment.
3. You MUST be currently unemployed. Being a full-time college student does not count as being unemployed.
The
$50 gift card must be used to
enhance your job search. You could use it toward
making copies of your resume or gas for job hunting. To
learn more about the Be Work Ready initiative, visit www.begaworkready.org.
FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS:
Q. What is Be Work Ready?
A. Be Work Ready is a one-of-a-kind initiative designed to help Georgia’s
unemployed citizens improve their core job skills and, ultimately, give them
a competitive advantage in their job searches. It also provides monetary incentives
to those who earn a Work Ready Certificate and/or improve their skills through
free, online Work Ready skills gap training. This incentive is designed to help
fund the job search process.
Q. Who is eligible for Be Work Ready?
A. Be Work Ready is for Georgia’s unemployed citizens, age 18 and older.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, individuals are classified
as unemployed if they do not have a job, have actively looked for work in the
prior four weeks and are currently available for work.
Actively
looking for work may consist of any of the following activities:
Contacting an employer directly or having a job interview
Contacting a public or private employment agency
Communicating with friends and/or relatives about job opportunities
Contacting a school or university employment center
Sending out resumes or filling out applications
Placing or answering advertisements
Checking union or professional registers
Some other means of active job search
Individuals must have earned a Work Ready Certificate
and/or improved their Work Ready Certificate level through skills gap training
to be eligible. Those who have earned Work Ready Certificates since Sept. 1,
2008 may apply.
Q.
How can the incentive money be used? Are there restrictions?
A. The money is intended to help fund the job search process. Approved job search
expenditures include transportation, child care, clothes, grooming, office supplies
and other expenses associated with a successful job search. The cards are restricted
to merchant codes associated with businesses that provide these products or
services.
Q. What is the maximum amount of incentive funds an individual can earn?
A. When an individual earns a bronze, silver or gold level Work Ready Certificate,
they are eligible for a $50 incentive; when they earn a platinum, they are eligible
for $100. When an individual improves their Work Ready Certificate level in
any way, they are eligible for a $100 incentive. Georgians are only eligible
to receive an incentive for improving their Work Ready Certificate level once.
Q. How long does it take to receive the Be Work Ready incentive?
A. After completing the application at www.begaworkready.org, it takes three
to four weeks to receive the Be Work Ready incentive package by mail.
Q.
How will the cards be distributed?
A. Be Work Ready incentive packages will be distributed by the Governor’s
Office of Workforce Development by mail. After completing the application at
www.begaworkready.org, it will take approximately three to four weeks to arrive.
Q. What do I do if my incentive card is lost or stolen?
A. If your card is lost of stolen, immediately call 1-866-213-8564.
Q. How do those without home computers and/or computer skills apply
for the incentive?
A. The Web site – www.begaworkready.org – is accessible via any
Internet-connected computer, including those located at Georgia’s public
libraries. Georgians in need of basic computer skills training to complete the
application should visit their local adult education or one stop center.
RESOURCES:
The
Governor’s Office of Workforce Development staff is available to assist
with any questions
Steven Wilson, 404-545-0332
Patt Stonehouse, 404-463-5029
Bank of America customer service - English or Spanish speaking customer assistance:
1-866-213-8564
TTY assistance for the hearing impaired: 1-866-656-5913
Scheduling a Work Ready assessment or accessing skills gap training
Information available at www.gaworkready.org