THE HOUSTON COUNTY CLCP AND ITS PARTNERS
Workplace Training for City Employees
The Houston County CLCP is helping upgrade the skills of city employees in Warner Robins in partnership with the city and MGTC. This workplace literacy program provides several levels of instruction to city employees, who can enroll in classes for two hours a week during their normal paid workdays. The idea originated from the confusion over trash collection routes at the Sanitation Department, but it has expanded to become an effort to improve the skills of employees throughout the city system. Classes are offered in basic literacy, GED preparation, and computer skills. The city pays for employees' participation in workplace training, as well as for those who want to attend the technical college for job-related training.
Kent attends Warner Robins' workplace literacy program and was honored as Georgia's Workplace Student of the Year in 1998. After being turned down for a job promotion because he did not have a high school diploma, he realized he could no longer "just get by." He had a family to support and needed a better salary, so he enrolled in adult education courses at Middle Georgia Technical College. Kent received his GED diploma in 1995 at the age of 36. He says he not only received a diploma, but also he learned the true meaning of self-esteem. "Knowledge is power for the spirit and soul," he says. "It's not about spelling. It's about getting to a place where you feel good about yourself." Now Kent also attends class on site at the Sanitation Department to reinforce his skills. He received a promotion and now works in the city's sign shop, where he uses his skills daily. When you're making street signs, he says, "You can't misspell 'STOP'!"
Donald S. Walker, the mayor of Warner Robins, sees this program as essential to the city's economic development. As for the effects of adult education on all aspects of city life—from the crime rate to its quality of life and more skilled workforce—he says: "Nothing will make a bigger impact than the [Houston County] CLCP." Warner Robins received a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) best practices award for this program.
