November 2024 #MFGDay24
On October 4, 2024, Georgia Mountains Works celebrated National Manufacturing Day, dedicated to fostering awareness of careers in advanced manufacturing and preparing the future workforce. Throughout the Georgia Mountains region, 24 manufacturing employers partnered with education professionals to organize tours during the month, involving more than 440 students from local school systems.
Manufacturing is the #1 employment sector, employs the greatest number of people in the Georgia Mountains Region with the average salary of over $62,000 per year. The region’s high schools offer career pathways in Ag Mechanics, Drafting & Design, Electrical, Heavy Equipment, Logistics, Machine Operations, Manufacturing, Mechatronics, Metal Fabrication, Robotics, Technical Systems, Welding, and Engineering & Technology, all of which can lead to careers in manufacturing.
Georgia Mountains Works Employer Partners that offered tours:
| ASI – Eastanollee, GA – global partitions (pictured) |
| Automation Direct – Cumming, GA – automation components |
| Harris Products – Gainesville, GA – gas and metal working products |
| Power Services Group – Gainesville, GA – steam and gas turbine |
| Patterson Pump, Inc. – Toccoa, GA – high-capacity pumps (pictured) |
| Specialty Appliances – Cumming, GA – orthodontic appliances (pictured) |
| Universal Servo – Dawsonville, GA – automation and robotic repair |
| ZF Group – Gainesville, GA – automotive and industrial systems |
Additional Employers that offered tours:
| Atlanta Gear Works – Dawsonville, GA – heavy industrial gearboxes |
| BoldVu – Alpharetta, GA – digital LCD display |
| BTD Manufacturing – Dawsonville, GA – metal fabrication |
| Burnette Welding – Gainesville, GA – welding |
| Chandler Equipment – Gainesville, GA – agricultural equipment |
| Cottrell, Inc. – Gainesville, GA – car haulers |
| GAF – Cumming, GA – roofing |
| Geek+ – Suwanee, GA – software development |
| Kamstrup North America – Cumming, GA – water metering |
| LaserCraft Technologies – Gainesville, GA – metal fabrication |
| Macrovey – Alpharetta, GA – automation |
| Plastek Werks – Cleveland, GA – plastic welding |
| Siemens Energy – Alpharetta, GA – energy systems |
| Solmax, Inc. – Cornelia, GA – geosynthetics |
| Swagelok – Alpharetta, GA – fluid power systems |
| Toyota Industries – Jefferson, GA – automotive compressor parts |
Georgia Mountains Region:
$30.18 Average Hourly Manufacturing Wage (1Q24)
2.7% Unemployment (Sept 2024)
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WorkSource Georgia Mountains and Workforce Strategies Group, LLC, facilitate the Manufacturing (MFG) Sector Strategy, Georgia Mountain Works, to collaborate with area stakeholders to align education and workforce training programs with the needs of manufacturing businesses. WSGM, under Georgia Mountains Regional Commission, administers the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funds which encourages sector strategies and partnerships.
WorkSource Georgia Mountains Region 2 includes the following counties: Banks, Dawson, Franklin, Forsyth, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, and White.