The Construction Education Foundation of Georgia (CEFGA) is proud to announce the organization will be a recipient of the State of Georgia’s first allocation of Governors Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funding as part of the CARES Act. In an announcement made on Tuesday, August 18, Governor Brian P. Kemp said the funding will work to support workforce training, broadband and connectivity extensions, mental health services, childcare, and tech innovation as instructors move to online learning in this unprecedented educational landscape due to COVID-19. 

CEFGA will receive $3.3 million to expand the “Construction Ready” program. Construction Ready takes Georgians through a 20-day construction education program that ends with training, credentialing and job placement. Since 2014, CEFGA through the Construction Ready program has trained more than 1,000 workers of all ages for a successful career in construction. Details of the program include: 

• 96% job placement at end of training

• Starting salary of $12-15/hour

• 70% participants employed with same company one year later 

The goal of the Construction Ready program is to help close the workforce skills gap. The Nationwide Workforce Initiative finds that for every five people that retire from the skilled professions, there is only one apprentice to fill the job. The lack of skilled workers is also a problem in Georgia as a shortage of more than 61,000 workers was reported in 2019. The shortage has continued through the pandemic. Closing this skills gap by educating more Georgians about careers in the skilled professions is CEFGA’s primary goal. 

“We are honored to be included as a recipient of GEER funding to make a difference by educating Georgians about skilled professions,” says CEFGA President and CEO Scott Shelar. “There are construction jobs in the midst of this pandemic and we need Georgians trained and certified to fill those positions. This money will allow us to expand our program across this great state.” 

The funding is part of the initial allocation of $105 million in CARES Act funding designated as the Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER).  

"From Day One of my administration, I have made it clear that we will always work to keep Georgia's students, teachers, and administrators top of mind as we address educational needs in our state," said Governor Kemp. "With the allocation of these funds, we are building on that promise - from K-12 classrooms, to our university campuses. This GEER funding will support broadband and connectivity extensions, mental health services, workforce training, childcare, and tech innovation as instructors move to online learning in an unprecedented educational landscape due to COVID-19. These are challenging times for our state, but we will continue to work around the clock to support our students and teachers, improve outcomes, and get people back to work. Together, we will protect the lives and livelihoods of all Georgians."

CEFGA Programs

More information on the Construction Ready program and CEFGA can be found by visiting https://cefga.org. CEFGA is also holding weekly Facebook Live sessions to reach Georgians interested in the skilled trades. Every Tuesday at Noon, CEFGA’s President and CEO Scott Shelar and his guests have discussed a different aspect of the construction  industry with the goal of educating students about career opportunities in the construction industry. All of these events are also found here - https://cefga.org/k12-pipeline/instagram-live-summer-series/. 

The organization has also set up a career hotline for those interested in entering the construction industry. Georgians can text “careerpath” to 31996 and someone from the CEFGA career placement team will follow up with information on advanced training, apprenticeships and even job placement.