Georgia is Where Talent Meets Opportunity

The Top State for Talent is a cross-agency initiative to transform how Georgians prepare for and access meaningful careers.

Georgia: Where Talent Meets Opportunity

Georgia Connect

Georgia Connect

A tool for direct connection between Georgia's talent and the employers who need it. 

Georgia Connect is being built as a statewide tool that brings together real labor market data, skills and interests, postsecondary pathways, credential information, and personalized guidance so every Georgian can make informed decisions about their future. 

Georgia Connect Information

Georgia Connect

Your future deserves a plan.

In HB 1302, the Governor and General Assembly directed the Governor's Office of Education and Workforce Strategy (GOEWS) to lead the Technical College System of Georgia, the University System of Georgia, the Georgia Student Finance Commission, the Department of Education, and the Department of Labor in building "Georgia Connect" a single online platform connecting every Georgian with a personalized plan for their academic and career future. The tool supports students, parents, counselors, educators, and job seekers as they navigate secondary, postsecondary, and workforce training opportunities across the state.

A direct connection between Georgia's talent and the employers who need it.

Georgia Connect brings together the skills and interests, postsecondary pathways, credential information, and personalized guidance so every Georgian can build a plan and make informed decisions about their future. The platform is being built in phases.

Phase One: Skills Wallet. A learner-owned, portable digital record of credentials, assessments, skills, resume content and other student accomplishments that create a fuller picture of what someone can do than a resume alone, built on a common statewide skills language for degrees, certificates, apprenticeships, and stackable credentials.

Phase Two: Skills-Based Hiring. Employers describe open roles by the skills they require, not open-ended postings matching talent to jobs more precisely, across industries, employers, institutions, and states.

Alongside these phases, enhancements to Georgia MATCH, will bring enhanced direct admission and automated credit transfer, cutting the administrative friction that costs students credit and time. Together, these tools are designed to strengthen labor force participation and lift wage outcomes statewide.


 

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CTO Challenge

Georgia Wins National Competition

What is the CTO Challenge?

The CTO Challenge is a federal competition aimed at accelerating development of the Talent Marketplace. It focuses on three key additions: a Skills Wallet, a Credential Registry, and AI-powered job matching capabilities.

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CTO Challenge

Governor’s Workforce Summit 2026

Governor Brian Kemp

2026 Governor’s Workforce Summit

We invite you to join us September 24–25 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta for the 4th Annual gathering of Georgia’s education, business, and workforce leaders. 

Under the theme “Where Talent Meets Opportunity,” this year’s Summit celebrates Governor Brian P. Kemp’s record of building a world-class workforce system—one that connects every Georgian, from high school to higher education to the workplace, with a clear path to a meaningful career. Over two days, attendees will hear from state and industry leaders, explore Georgia’s high-demand career pathways, and chart the road ahead for Georgia’s workforce.

The full agenda, including keynote speakers and featured sessions, will be announced in the coming weeks. Check GWSRegistration.com for updates.

We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta.

Thursday, September 24

Governor Kemp takes center stage on Day One alongside top industry leaders for a forward-looking conversation on technology, AI, and what it means for Georgia's workforce. Then he makes it official elevating the importance of student advisement and the innovative navigation tool that brings students, adult learners, and employers together around the careers that matter most to Georgia's future. 

Who Should Attend Day One:

Education leaders, industry partners, government officials, workforce professionals, and anyone committed to Georgia's future.

Friday, September 25

Day Two puts the spotlight on the practitioners closest to students. Secondary and post-secondary counselors, advisors, teachers, and administrators who turn possibility into reality every day. Sessions will go deeper into the new navigation tool, explore the current state of career guidance, and renew our shared commitment to making sure every Georgian can find a path to a well-paying career right here at home. Day Two also marks the official launch of the Georgia Career Navigation Collaborative, a statewide community of practice connecting practitioners around what works in career advisement. It is a conversation about Georgia's collective responsibility and the work still ahead.

Who Should Attend Day Two:

High school counselors, postsecondary advisors, career coaches, and industry leaders who want to connect with the people guiding Georgia's next generation. 

2026 Governor's Workforce Summit Information

Key Legislation

  • House Bill 1302

    HB 1302, sponsored by Representative Matt Gambill, was a priority of Governor Kemp and is the culmination of his Top State for Talent Initiative. Known as the Education and Workforce Strategy Act, it renames the Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) to the Office of Education and Workforce Strategy (GOEWS) and empowers the office to coordinate with relevant state agencies on workforce development initiatives. It also attaches the State Workforce Development Board to GOEWS, requires combined Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and Perkins plans, designates TCSG as the State Apprenticeship Agency, and creates one unified state workforce plan following the development of the statewide high-demand career list by HB 982 in 2024.

  • House Bill 192

    Formally launches the Top State for Talent Act, aligning state agencies around common career planning tools, cross-agency data use, and long-term workforce strategy.

  • House Bill 982

    Establishes the High Demand Career List—Georgia’s first unified tool to identify top occupations based on job growth, wages, and training needs at regional and state levels.

Georgia's Modernization of Career Clusters

Explore Georgia's High-Demand Career List

High Demand Career List

The High Demand Career List, established under Governor Kemp by HB 982, is Georgia’s first unified occupation priority list used by businesses, workforce development, and education agencies. This centralized resource improves efficiency by aligning state resources with current and future workforce needs.  The list reflects current and projected high-demand jobs that offer livable wages and require a postsecondary or industry-recognized credential and/or significant on-the job training. As a key part of the Top State for Talent initiative, the list helps students, jobseekers, parents, and educators make informed career decisions. It also supports Georgia’s growing economy by ensuring that employers have access to the skilled talent they need to thrive.

Explore Georgia's High Demand Careers

The Education & Workforce Strategy Team

The team's purpose is to coordinate the efforts of state agencies and relevant entities engaged in education, ​data governance, student achievement, talent development, & workforce preparedness ​throughout Georgia. ​This work was formalized by HB 1302.

HB 1302

Logo reads University System of Georgia; clicking the link takes you to the USG website
The University System of Georgia
Logo reads Technical College system of Georgia; clicking the link takes you to the TCSG website
Technical College System of Georgia
Logo reads Georgia Department of Education; clicking the link takes you to the Department of Education website
Georgia Department of Education
Georgia Department of Labor
Georgia Department of Labor
Governor's Office of Education & Workforce Strategy

The Governor’s Office of Education and Workforce Strategy (GOEWS) supports accountability and transparency through strategic data use and collaboration with education stakeholders to advance student success.

Governor's Office of Education & Workforce Strategy

Frequently Asked Questions

Since 2023, Governor Kemp has strategically aligned Georgia’s educational and workforce systems for success, ensuring that Georgia is Where Talent Meets Opportunity.

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