Funding Workforce Development Across Georgia
Friends,
College and graduate students across the state are now back on campus and in class. The House Republican Caucus prioritizes supporting our state colleges, universities, and technical schools to ensure that Georgia students receive a quality affordable education and that our workforce is robust. The budget for the 2022 Fiscal Year, which went into effect on July 1 this year, includes $58.9 million for the University System of Georgia. As part of serving Georgia students well, the USG will not increase tuition or mandatory student fees for the 2021-2022 academic year.
The continued commitment to funding our colleges and universities and keeping tuition rates affordable allows Georgia students to receive a high-quality education after completing high school while keeping the cost low for students and their families. While supporting our local colleges and universities is key to maintaining a strong and growing workforce in our state, our budget contains many investments in workforce development beyond traditional college and university opportunities.
Almost $1 million is dedicated to establishing a coding program at the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center in partnership with the Department of Education. The Georgia Cyber Center is located at Augusta University and delivers affordable cybersecurity training and education, helping to develop our state’s cybersecurity workforce. As businesses and governments have become more and more reliant on technology, the security of that technology has become increasingly important. The Georgia Cyber Center will train Georgians to participate in this rapidly growing industry.
The FY 2022 budget increases medical education funding by including $7.78 million, the second year of a three-year plan to support medical education. The FY 2022 budget includes $5.2 million in matching funds for an endowment gift for the Medical College of Georgia’s 3+ Program. This important program provides graduates from MCG with three “pathways” to future opportunities.
Graduates can choose from a residency in primary care; an additional degree program in business, public health, education, or biomedical science; or an advanced clinical training and research program. Each of these programs supports areas of need for Georgia’s medical industry. Primary care doctors are in short supply across our state and especially in rural Georgia. Additional degree programs in other areas of study prepare students for careers in academic medicine and meet our state’s need for leaders in academic medicine. Finally, advanced clinical training and research give students multiple options to enhance their careers.
The budget also includes $250,000 to finalize a multi-year implementation plan at Middle Georgia State University’s School of Aviation. This program is Georgia’s flagship aviation career path program. The program currently offers programs that include flight (airplane and helicopter), air traffic management, aviation maintenance technology (AMT), and aircraft structural technology (AST).
If you have any feedback or ideas about how to enhance our workforce development efforts, please do not hesitate to call (404.656.5052), e-mail (Jon.Burns@house.ga.gov), or engage on Facebook (www.facebook.com/JonBurnsGA). If you would like to receive email updates, please visit my website to sign up for my newsletter or email me.