Dalton State College and Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) are partnering to host the inaugural Northwest Georgia Workforce Summit on Friday, August 22, at Dalton State’s Gignilliat Hall. The event begins at 8:30 a.m. and will bring together educators, business leaders, and community partners to focus on strengthening the region’s economic and workforce competitiveness.
The summit will feature opening remarks from University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue and Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Greg Dozier, who are expected to speak about the critical role higher education plays in meeting the state’s evolving workforce demands.
The day’s programming will include panel discussions, presentations, and interactive sessions led by regional industry leaders. Topics will focus on workforce trends, educational partnerships, and strategies for talent development and retention.
The summit follows a broader statewide initiative launched by Governor Brian Kemp in December 2024, which introduced a unified high-demand career list. The list aligns education and workforce development efforts with employer needs and is intended to guide students and institutions in preparing for the most critical job sectors.
For Northwest Georgia, the high-demand career areas include education, engineering, manufacturing, health science, construction, and transportation and logistics, along with growing needs in financial services, public safety, energy, human services, IT, and marketing.
These efforts have supported new articulation agreements between GNTC and Dalton State, allowing students to begin associate degree programs at GNTC and seamlessly transfer to bachelor’s degree programs at Dalton State or Georgia Highlands College.
A lunch roundtable session will encourage collaboration and networking among attendees. An optional networking session is also scheduled for Thursday, August 21, from 7 to 8 p.m., also in Gignilliat Hall.
While the summit is free to attend, registration is required due to limited space. For more information or to register, visit daltonstate.edu/workforce-summit.
