Some 1,500 Atlanta leaders and elected officials got together Friday for the Atlanta Regional Commission’s (ARC) 2023 State of the Region event. The event comes as the regional agency is pushing its “One Great Region” vision to urge leaders and communities to work together to improve the region.
“We can only make a difference if we all act, if we all take steps to foster change,” said ARC Executive Director Anna Roach. “If we work collectively to address our region’s greatest challenges, there is no limit to what our region can accomplish.”
The event highlighted a number of new initiatives, including the newly established Climate Change and Resilience program. There are numerous federal grants that offer funding for strategies to reduce pollution in metro Atlanta, support the transition to lower carbon usage and help the region become more resilient to extreme weather. Some of this funding was touched on by former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, now an advisor to President Joe Biden, in his keynote address.
There is still a lot of infrastructure bill funding and other federal funding available for transformational projects, or numerous smaller projects that can make real quality of life changes for communities. Calling it a “once in a generation opportunity,” Landrieu noted the future of the South as an innovator and growth engine for the country.
“We’re moving forward to a South that can lead in business growth, in innovation and technology, and in clean energy and manufacturing,” said Landrieu. (Some of the current tension between Detroit-based auto workers and automakers is from manufacturing moving to the South’s more business-friendly climate, incentives and less union presence.)
Much of the event is dedicated to sharing what has worked in communities across the region and how this can be implemented in other areas. Cherokee County has been promoting a “Be Pro, Be Proud” initiative that highlights the benefits of the skilled trades. Specifically, the program aims to counteract some of the negativity that has set in culturally around what can very high-paying, stable, and high quality-of-life professions.
Cherokee County has been investing in training for skilled trades and hopes to change the narrative around these jobs, attracting both workers and businesses to the north Georgia community. Be Pro, Be Proud engages students in high school, encouraging them to investigate technical careers through virtual and augmented reality experiences. For those interested, the program can connected them directly to employers and training providers who can help them get started on their careers.
“I invite you to join us in championing this movement and be part of the solution. Each of us can change the negativity associated with skilled trades by working together,” said Misti Martin, president and CEO of the Cherokee Office of Economic Development.
In a region that is perhaps as diverse demographically and politically as any in the country, the skilled trades initiatives that is seeing support across all groups and could help to avoid the pitfalls of an aging skilled workforce.
