Workforce Solutions Overview

Connecting Talent with Opportunity

Building and maintaining a skilled workforce is critical for the Atlanta region’s economy. The Atlanta Regional Commission’s Workforce Solutions Division manages WorkSource Atlanta Regional, which provides services to help meet the needs of today’s employers and job seekers in Cherokee, Clayton, Douglas, Fayette, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale counties.

Although WorkSource Atlanta Regional’s Mobile Career Lab is currently undergoing maintenance, our Career Resource Centers are still here to serve you! Customers can fill out applications, talk with career counselors via phone or email, and participate in web-based trainings and education sessions. We are also available and ready to assist our business partners in preparing their workforce for the future.

To locate your Career Resource Center or find WorkSource programs in the 10-county metro Atlanta region, visit Atlworks.org or the Technical College System of Georgia WIOA Centers.

Workforce Services

Services for Businesses

WorkSource Atlanta Regional offers a range of services for businesses seeking a skilled workforce, including training and skills development for new and existing employees, assistance with employee recruitment, and data tools that provide insight into labor market trends.

Programs and services include:

• On-the-job-training to attract and retain new talent
• Incumbent worker training to help existing employees obtain the skills they need to stay competitive
• Employee recruitment assistance, provided at no cost to the employer
• Reimbursement for customized training to meet the specific needs of an employer
• ‘Rapid Response’ assistance to help displaced workers get back to work as soon as possible

Services for Job Seekers

WorkSource Atlanta Regional provides a range of services for job seekers, including education and skills development. WorkSource Atlanta Regional operates local Career Resource Centers and the Mobile Career Lab.

Programs and services include:

• Career assessment testing to identify potential career paths
• Job readiness training in areas such as effective communication and problem solving that prepare clients to get, keep and excel at a new job
• Job search training assistance that helps build strong resumes and interview skills
• Assistance in locating approved training providers and registering for programs

WIOA Job Training Application

NextGen Services – for ages 16-24

WorkSource Atlanta Regional’s NextGen program provides year-round workforce training and education program for people 16-24 years old who are interested in employment and/or training and live in Cherokee, Clayton, Douglas, Fayette, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale counties. Participants must meet low-income guidelines and/or possess significant and defined barriers to education and employment.

Organization and Funding

The programs offered through ARC’s Workforce Solutions division are funded through the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and a partner of the American Job Center network. In Georgia these funds are administered by the Technical College System of Georgia Office of Workforce Development (OWD), which oversees 19 WorkSource programs across the state, including WorkSource Atlanta Regional. Each local program is led by a local workforce development board that is charged with creating employment and training systems tailored to meet the specific needs of their local economies.

WorkSource Atlanta Regional, which is staffed by ARC and guided by the Atlanta Regional Workforce Development Board (ARWDB), is one of the five WorkSource programs in the 10-county Atlanta region. WorkSource Atlanta Regional serves customers in Cherokee, Clayton, Douglas, Fayette, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale counties.

Workforce Planning

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act requires that each Local Workforce Development Board (LWDB), located within a region with other LWDBs, must prepare both a local workforce plan and a coordinated regional workforce plan.  These plans must be updated at least every two years to reflect changing conditions and priorities. The WorkSource Atlanta Regional local plan and the WorkSource Metro Atlanta regional plan were adopted in 2020 and must be updated in 2022. This is a limited plan update that focused on updating data tables and minor edits related to out-of-date information and grammatical corrections; no changes were made to targeted industries, goals, or policies. Click the respective links below to review the updated plans.

Comments were accepted on the draft plans during a public comment period held from September 1, 2022 to October 7, 2022. Updated versions were accepted and approved by the ARWDB December, 2022.