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Customer Service/Technical Support Centers and Information Technology
Demand in both the customer service and computer support categories is expected to increase through 2016. Overall, computer and mathematical occupations are expected to increase by 46.2 percent, which represents an increase of almost 6,000 jobs. Specifically, computer support specialists will increase 36 percent, computer software engineers 65.5 percent, and computer and information systems managers 39.4 percent. Similarly, demand for customer service representatives is expected to grow by 42.1 percent through 2016. This growth indicates the need for increased educational opportunities in these fields, much of which could be addressed at the community/technical college level, since many of these occupations do not require a four-year degree.
Most customer service representative jobs require a high school diploma. However, because employers are demanding a more skilled workforce, some customer service jobs now require associate or bachelor's degrees. High school and college level courses in computers, English, or business are helpful in preparing for a job in customer service
Training requirements vary by industry. Almost all customer service representatives are provided with some training prior to beginning work. This training generally focuses on the company and its products, the most commonly asked questions, the computer and telephone systems they will be using, and basic people skills.
The Information Technology sector will require many of the same occupations as those identified for Customer Service/Technical Support Centers. In addition to the occupations addressed in that sector, exponential growth is projected for computer systems analysts at 52.5 percent, database administrators at 49.7 percent, and network and computer systems administrators at 52.9 percent. This level of demand can only be addressed through additional educational and training programs.
Chattahoochee Technical College (CTC) offers certificates and associate degrees in areas such as Accounting, Business Administrative Technology, Computer Information Systems, Digital Media Arts, Electronics and Computer Engineering Technology, Management and Supervisory Development, Marketing Management, and Technical Communications.
Reinhardt University offers degrees in areas such as Business Administration, Communication Arts, Communication Management and Leadership, Digital Art and Graphic Design, Math, and Professional Communications, as well as a Masters of Business Administration degree.
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KSU offers certificates and degrees in areas such as Accounting, Applied Statistics & Data Analysis, Communications, Computer Science, e- Business Systems, Geographic Information Systems, Information Security and Assurance, Information Systems, Information Technology, and Mathematics, as well as Masters of Science degrees in Applied Computer Science and Information Systems.
The Cherokee Office of Economic Development should meet with representatives of CTC, Reinhardt and KSU to determine if its existing course offerings meet current needs and future needs based on projected demand for these two sectors. In these discussions, the availability of training/retraining programs for the existing workforce should also be discussed and assessed.
Financial Services
The Financial Services Sector is also expected to see tremendous growth in virtually all occupations, with Business and Financial Operations occupations projected to grow by 35.5 percent or almost 10,000 jobs in the Atlanta metro area through 2016. Specifically, demand for financial analysts is expected to increase by 47.8 percent, accountants and auditors by 37 percent, and budget analysts by 34.3 percent.
In addition, because there are no occupations with declining demand related to financial services, there will be limited opportunities for retraining employees who have lost jobs due to a reduction in available job opportunities. It will be critical for area educational institutions to increase capacity in accounting and financial management fields, while efforts are also increased to recruit/retain professionals with these skills in order to meet the growing demand.
CTC offers programs in Accounting, Business Administrative Technology, Computer Information Systems, Electronics and Computer Engineering Technology, Management and Supervisory Development, Marketing Management, and Technical Communications.
Reinhardt University offers programs in Accounting, Business Administration, Communication Management and Leadership, Management, Marketing, Math, Organizational Management and Leadership, and Professional Communications, as well as a Masters of Business Administration degree.
KSU offers programs in Accounting, Applied Statistics and Data Analysis, Communications, Computer Science, e-Business Systems, Economics, Finance, Information Security and Assurance, Information Systems, Information Technology, International Business, Leadership
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and Ethics Management, Mathematics, and Professional Sales, as well as a Masters of Accounting and Masters of Business Administration degrees.
The Cherokee Office of Economic Development should meet with representatives of CTC, Reinhardt, and KSU to determine if its existing course offerings meet current needs and future needs based on projected demand, particularly in the accounting and financial management fields. In these discussions, the availability of training/retraining programs for the existing workforce should also be discussed and assessed.
Prior to meeting with the higher educational institutions, the Cherokee Office of Economic Development may also want to meet with existing businesses in the county who hire professionals in the accounting and financial management field to determine if their current needs are being met from a workforce availability and training perspective and what the gaps/needs may be, if any.
Healthcare and Retirement Services
The Healthcare and Retirement Services categories require many of the same skill sets, and demand is expected to increase significantly in the coming years. Demand for healthcare practitioners and technical occupations is expected to grow an average of almost 60 percent in the area, while healthcare support occupations will grow by more than 76 percent through 2016. In total, this represents almost 20,000 new jobs in healthcare related occupations. Nursing aides, occupational and physical therapy assistants, and medical assistants all will see growth of near 80 percent, while physician assistants, registered nurses, physical therapists and surgical technologists are projected to grow by more than 70 percent. Again, expanded educational opportunities and recruiting efforts will be critical to providing the workforce needed by new companies in these sectors.
CTC offers certificates and associate degrees in areas such as Nursing, Emergency Medical Technician, Health Information Technology, Healthcare Assistant, Healthcare Science, Health Studies, Medical Assisting, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Paramedic Technology, Physical Therapist Assistant, Practical Nursing, Radiography, and Surgical Technology.
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KSU offers degrees in areas such as Biochemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Exercise and Health Science, Human Services, Nursing, Psychology and Sociology, as well as a Master’s of Science in Exercise and a Health Science degree, a Master’s of Science in Nursing, and a Master’s of Social Work degree.
The Cherokee Office of Economic Development should meet with representatives of CTC, Reinhardt, and KSU to determine if its existing course offerings meet current needs and future needs based on projected demand,. In these discussions, the availability of training/retraining programs for the existing workforce should also be discussed and assessed.
Prior to meeting with the higher educational institutions, the Cherokee Office of Economic Development may also want to meet with existing businesses in the county in the Healthcare and Retirement Services field to determine if their current needs are being met from a workforce availability and training perspective, and what the gaps/needs may be, if any.
Regional Headquarters
While it is difficult to identify specific occupation codes for Regional Headquarters, where a variety of skill sets are required, it is important to note that the overall management occupations category is expected to grow by 26.7 percent, while office and administrative support jobs are projected to increase by 24.8 percent. However, demand for telephone operators, file clerks, computer clerks and order clerks is expected to decline, which might provide for opportunities to retrain those employees for positions in growing occupations to support regional headquarters operations. In terms of management positions, no occupations are projected to decline, so that growth must be addressed by additional graduates and recruitment of professionals from outside the market.
Recruiting management and professional staff is critical to the success of a white collar targeted industry strategy. Among employers who participated in the online survey, half said it is difficult to recruit from outside the region for professional positions. However, one quarter have found recruitment to be easy with the other quarter saying it is neither easy nor difficult to recruit professionals to Cherokee County.
CTC offers programs inAccounting, Business Administrative Technology, Computer Information Systems, Digital Media Arts, Electronics and Computer Engineering Technology, Management and Supervisory Development, Marketing Management, and Technical Communications.
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Reinhardt University offers programs in Accounting, Business Administration, Communication Arts, Communication Management and Leadership, Digital Art and Graphic Design, English, Management, Marketing, Math, Organizational Management and Leadership, Professional Communication, Public Relations and Advertising, and Public Safety Management and Leadership, as well as a Masters of Business Administration degree.
KSU offers programs in Accounting, Communications, Computer Science, e-Business Systems, Economics, Finance, Information Security and Assurance, Information Systems, Information Technology, International Business, Leadership and Ethics Management, Marketing, Mathematics, and Professional Sales, as well as Masters of Accounting and Masters of Business Administration degrees.
The Cherokee Office of Economic Development should meet with representatives of CTC, Reinhardt, and KSU to determine if its existing course offerings meet current needs and future needs based on projected demand. In these discussions, the availability of training/retraining programs for the existing workforce should also be discussed and assessed.
Prior to meeting with the higher education representatives, the Cherokee Office of Economic Development should meet with local employers that participated in the survey to discuss the challenges they have with hiring professional workers and others to determine how such challenges can be addressed.
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Workforce Findings
The Cherokee County labor shed is comprised of all or part of 12 counties in north central Georgia. The area has a total population of 2,393,379 in the 11-county primary area, plus an additional 316,478 in North Fulton County. The age 16+ population is 1,850,784 in the 11 counties, with 300,372 in North Fulton County. The total labor force in the primary labor shed is 1,327,887, with 219,371 in the North Fulton County labor force. Both the primary area and North Fulton County have a labor participation rate above both the state and national averages. The 11-county area participation rate is 71.8 percent, with North Fulton County at 73 percent, compared to a state average of 66.3 percent and a U.S. average of 65.2 percent.
While many Cherokee County residents commute into Fulton County, including metro Atlanta for work, residents of Atlanta and areas south of there are not likely to commute to Cherokee County. For that reason, only the northern portions of Fulton County are considered to be part of the Cherokee County labor shed. This includes the cities of Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Roswell and Sandy Springs and encompasses nine Zip Code areas in North Fulton County.
The 11-county labor shed area and North Fulton County have both experienced tremendous growth in the last 10 years, with the 11-county labor shed growing at 37 percent, while North Fulton County grew at 33.7 percent. This rate of growth significantly outpaces the state and national growth rates, and the Cherokee County labor shed is projected to continue growing at a rate faster than the state and nation for the next five years. The 11-county area is expected to see growth of 13.6 percent, while North Fulton County is projected to grow by 12.5 percent. The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) recently completed its Regional Snapshot of the Atlanta region which showed that Cherokee County’s population has grown 301.2 percent between 1980 – 2010 and is projected to grow another 93.6 percent between 2010 – 2040.
Unemployment in the 11-county area is below the Georgia state average and in line with the national rate, while North Fulton County’s unemployment rate is below both the state and national averages. The unemployment rate in the labor shed for the month of January 2011 was 9.7 percent, with North Fulton County at 8.2 percent for the same period. Four counties in the labor shed area reported rates below the state and national averages in January, with six counties reporting rates above 11 percent for the same period.
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While the Retail and Manufacturing sectors have the greatest employment in the 11-county labor shed area, Professional/Scientific/Technical Services is also well-represented. In looking at only white collar employment, Management/Scientific/Technical Consulting Services; Business Support Services and Computer Systems Design are the leading subsectors. White collar employment in Cherokee County totals 67.6 percent, which is above the state (62.2 percent) and national (61.6 percent) averages.
The recent Regional Snapshot released by the ARC shows that Cherokee County is projected to lead the Atlanta region over the next 30 years (2010 – 2040) with a 166.3 percent increase in jobs. Also according to the ARC Regional Snapshot, of total employment in Cherokee County in 2010, an estimated 12.8 percent are in the highest-paying sectors, which include Professional/Scientific/Technical, Information, Finance, Wholesale Trade and Management of Companies. It is projected that as of 2040, 18.8 percent of jobs in Cherokee County will be in the highest-paying sectors.
While the Atlanta metropolitan area was recently ranked by Forbes magazine as the third worst metropolitan area for commuters, only 21 percent of Cherokee County residents surveyed for this study indicate that they work in Cherokee County. They primarily commute to Atlanta, Canton, Marietta, Alpharetta and Sandy Springs. The Cherokee County workforce experiences more out-commuting (78.7 percent of residents) than in-commuting (55.6 percent of workers), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Cherokee County workforce is well-educated compared to the state and national averages. In the 11-county labor shed area, 43 percent of residents have a college degree, with an additional 20 percent having attended college without earning a degree. This compares to 35 percent of Georgia residents and 36 percent of U.S. residents who hold college degrees.
In addition to an educated workforce, Cherokee County also has a skilled workforce supported by the fact that 32 percent of Cherokee County participants in the Georgia Work Ready program, which provides skills assessment and certification for job seekers, scored Gold or Platinum when the overall goal is 20 percent.
The labor shed area has significantly higher average household and per capita income averages than the state of Georgia and the U.S. The 11-county primary labor shed has an average household income of $81,453, with North Fulton County reporting an average household income of $130,156, compared to a state average of almost $69,000 and a U.S. average of just over $72,000. Similarly, the area’s per capita income is also well above state and national averages.
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The average industry earnings in the Cherokee County labor shed for all sectors is $43,145, which is slightly lower than the United States average but slightly higher than the state of Georgia average. For white collar sectors only, the Cherokee County labor shed average is $55,284, which is lower than the United States average of $68,163 and slightly lower than the state of Georgia average of $59,370. The resident survey showed that
69 percent of respondents earn more than $50,000 per year, which is on par with the average wage
in the labor shed area for white collar positions.
Cherokee County’s targeted white collar sectors present some challenges in terms of occupational demand. Virtually every occupational code within the county’s targeted sectors are projected to grow through 2016, some by as much as 70 to 80 percent, with many growing at a rate of 30 percent plus. This projected growth will require some aggressive education/training and recruitment strategies to meet the workforce needs of new and existing employers in these white collar sectors.
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Workforce Marketing Profile
Key findings and assets of the Cherokee County workforce should be used to market the area to potential employers. Following is a suggested marketing template to use in presenting this information to white collar prospects. This template should be used as a guide and customized for each prospect. In addition, the demographic and educational information should be updated at least annually and enhanced to address any issues of importance to prospects.
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