Workforce Development

With one of the largest, most comprehensive, and most competitive educational communities in the Southeast, Cobb is constantly providing our local business community with the talent they are looking for—and that is important now more than ever.

Site selectors across the nation have found that the availability of skilled workers has become the top priority of businesses looking to relocate or expand into a new community—outranking incentives and all other economic factors. An educational infrastructure that is prepared to adapt to the changing needs of industry can be a powerful force in the recruitment, growth, and retention of local businesses.

Cobb Workforce Partnership

The availability of skilled labor continues to be a top site selection criterion for economic development projects. In addition, recruiting and retaining a qualified, trained, and reliable workforce is one the greatest challenges for employers across the nation. Since its inception in 2015, the Cobb Workforce Partnership (CWP) has worked to address the current and future workforce needs and concerns by bringing together leaders from the business community, K-12 educational systems, postsecondary education institutions, and other stakeholders for focused dialogue.

CWP is a collaboration of the Cobb County and Marietta K-12 schools, the University and Technical College system, community workforce providers, and local businesses brought together to address the current needs and gaps of the Cobb county workforce. The workforce partnerships work together to help establish a pipeline of job-ready workers in Cobb County. If you are interested in joining, complete the form here.

CWP comes together twice a year to share ideas, expertise, and resources to strengthen workforce development in the county.

Industry Council Meetings

Industry council meetings are a joint meeting of industry leaders, educators, and workforce professionals brought together to discuss the current landscape, innovations, challenges, and opportunities of the top five target industries in Cobb County. Cobb's target industries include advanced manufacturing, construction and skilled trade, healthcare and biotechnology, logistics and supply chain, and IT and communication.

CobbWorks

The Cobb Chamber partners with CobbWorks, a not-for-profit organization committed to strengthening our community's workforce by providing access to a system of employment and education services to give members access to an extensive job board. Members can search for future employees and post positions. Job seekers can find local employment opportunities and workforce training opportunities and resources.

Georgia QuickStart

Cobb-area businesses have the nation's best workforce training program at their disposal: Georgia QuickStart. This free service is provided at no charge by the Technical College System of Georgia. Georgia Quick Start delivers training in classrooms, mobile labs, or directly on the plant floor—essentially in any location that suits the company. The program is designed to address the needs of any sector. Still, it has extensive experience delivering workforce training in biotech and health care, warehousing and distribution, automotive, advanced manufacturing, food and agribusiness, and service.

On-the-Job Training Program

The On-the-Job Training (OJT) program helps employers attract and retain employees who don't possess the skills to perform in a specific position. OJT reimburses 50 percent of the employee's salary during the designated training period.

OJT can assist employers looking to expand their business and need additional staff trained with specialized skills. Contact your local OJT provider here for more details.

SCORE

SCORE is a non-profit association and resource partner with the Small Business Administration dedicated to entrepreneur education and the formation, growth and success of small businesses. Working and retired executives and business owners who share their expertise across more than 60 industries donate their time as volunteer business counselors, providing confidential counseling and mentoring free of charge.

SCORE also provides:

Free business tools, templates and tips (click here)
Free or inexpensive business workshops and webinars (online)

Through a strategic partnership between the Cobb Chamber and SCORE North Metro Atlanta, volunteer business counselors are available to meet with you regarding your business. To make an appointment to meet one of the counselors, click here. For a list of upcoming SCORE workshops across the Metro Atlanta region, visit the upcoming events page here.

Starting a Business

Cobb County values our business community and understands its importance on our local economy. Whether you are at the initial stage of your business concept or an established business looking to expand, we know there are many variables to consider and we are here to help. The Cobb County Business Concierge Service, administered by the Cobb County Office of Economic Development, assists current and prospective business owners who are looking to start, expand and relocate their business in Cobb County.

What’s Provided:

Entrepreneurial support by connecting business owners to technical, financial and market resources
Small business incentives that assist in job creation, entrepreneurship, small business development, job retention and business recruitment
Education and assistance in navigating the County permitting process, One Stop Shop
Advocate for business within the County
Arrange meetings across departments and provide a single point of contact within the County
Assist with interactions and problem resolution with all County departments
Work as an advocate with other agencies and community partners for coordinated solutions to business issues
Identify and connect clients to additional business resources at the local and state level
Connecting business to sustainability programs and resources

For more information, click here or contact the Cobb County Business Concierge Team at econdev@cobbcounty.org or (770) 528-2018.

International

Our continued growth in exports and investment activity keeps Cobb at the forefront of international business in the metro region. Our talented workforce, proximity to major interstates and one of the world’s largest airports, competitive cost of living, and business-friendly environment makes Cobb County attractive to businesses around the globe. With international companies in a variety of business sectors including biotech and healthcare, advanced manufacturing, supply chain and logistics, and technology, the diversity is evident throughout the county.

More than 200 international companies located in Cobb
Employs more than 29,000 Georgians
Major Industries represented: Finance, Retail, Manufacturing, Services
Countries most represented: Germany, Japan, Netherlands, UK
Top International Employers: YKK, TKE, GLOCK, SITA Americas, Travelport, Randstad, Vanderlande, UCB, CCH Small Firms Services, Novelis, Yamaha

More than 70 foreign governments have operations in GA – 2 bi-national chambers and 8 consulates and trade offices are located in Cobb.