Today, the Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC) announced the launch of three new initiatives that will address the significant challenges employers face when it comes to finding talent for in-demand job functions. The programs will build upon MAC’s existing talent development work and propel upward economic mobility for individuals, with a particular focus on youth and young adults, across the metro Atlanta region and state. 

Thanks to a generous three-year grant from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, the three new initiatives will connect employers with young talent for internships and full-time work while providing resources for young talent to better navigate necessary and relevant credentials. These programs are: 

• Connect to Work GA – Powered by Skills for America’s Future will focus on skills-based hiring and upskilling, connecting hiring managers with skilled labor/talent in untapped populations across the state. The Connect to Work GA team will place an annual average of 150 individuals in jobs ranging from entry-level warehousing to entry-level cybersecurity. 

• Georgia Credential Library will align and standardize all credentials in the state by convening business, education and government leaders who will catalog, define and map credentials of every type and level across industries. Credentials include any certification or degree beyond and including a high school diploma. The process will enhance clarity and transparency for young talent deciding on a career path as well as business leaders discerning which credential(s) would be valuable to a specific job function. 

• Georgia Intern App will match young talent to early career opportunities with MAC investor companies, with an estimated 400 youth and young adults placed per year in positions ranging from short-term projects to full-year internships. MAC’s team will source specific skills, talent and traits among college students and alumni, with a special emphasis on rural students/campuses and HBCUs. 

“MAC’s unique strength is our well-established and close connections to a broad group of business, nonprofit and education leaders. We worked closely with these leaders to develop this new set of strategic programs that will have an unprecedented impact on talent development and economic mobility for our community,” said Katie Kirkpatrick, president & CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber. “We’re incredibly grateful to the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation for embracing our vision and making it a reality.” 

“Scaling pathways to economic mobility for young people is a core part of our work at the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. The connection between training, employment and advancement can be challenging for young people, and that is exactly what MAC’s new talent programs will address,” said Daniel Shoy, managing director, Youth Development and Atlanta’s Westside, Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. “Connecting talent acquisition teams, training institutions, workforce intermediaries and talent will help remove barriers to career pathways for Georgia’s young people. We’re excited to see these programs come to life.” 

Years in the making, Connect to Work GA, Georgia Credential Library, and Georgia Intern App will leverage the insights of MAC’s ATL Talent Collaborative, a cohort of 35+ senior talent acquisition leaders at MAC investor companies that works to address talent challenges and opportunities related to the hardest-to-fill job functions across the most in-demand industries.