Northwest Georgia Regional
Workforce Partnership
Overview
The partnership based in the Northwest Georgia region, led by the Northwest Georgia Regional Workforce
Partnership, will focus on the floor covering manufacturing cluster. It will engage the industry to explore changes
in curricula, share training assets, promote industry-based career paths, and build a sustainable partnership to
provide more support for Georgia's long-standing clusters and the region's largest employer.
Industry/Sector focus: Floor covering industry
Rationale/Need
The Northwest Georgia region is the global leader in the floor covering industry. The floor covering industry serves a
diverse market and includes carpets and rugs, resilient flooring, wood flooring, ceramic wall, and floor tile. The City of
Dalton (Whitfield County) is the industry’s nucleus and is referred to as “The Carpet Capital of the World.” Eighty-five
percent of all carpet manufactured in the United States is produced in Georgia, and more than 70 percent of the total
industry’s output in the world comes from the region.
Despite the Northwest Georgia region’s clear manufacturing advantage in the floor covering industry, the
manufacturing sector in the region experienced a 27 percent decline in employment from 2002 to 2012. During the
most recent economic downturn, the Northwest Georgia region lost 16,240 net jobs. Average annual wages for floor
covering jobs in the region was $38,784 in 2012, compared to the US average of $47,763.
Since May 2013, over 5000 manufacturing jobs were announced in Northwest Georgia, and more than half of those
jobs are expected to be in the floor covering industry. Manufacturing employs 25 percent of the region’s workforce.
Nonetheless less than five percent of students are
enrolled in manufacturing-related career paths.
Currently there are over 700 open positions in the floor
Since May 2013, over 5000 manufacturing
covering industry, requiring skills in mechatronics
jobs were announced in Northwest
(electrical, mechanical, and other engineering skills),
Georgia, and more than half of those jobs
industrial maintenance, electronics, and electrical
systems. These jobs could be filled if workers with the
are expected to be in the floor covering
necessary skills were available.
industry.
Elected and community officials, employers, and
manufacturer and education partners have been collaborating to address challenges in higher education. The May
2014 designation of Northwest Georgia as one of 12 initial regions through the Economic Development
Administration’s Investing in Manufacturing Community Partnership (IMCP) has led to the rapid development of an
Communities that Work Partnership, Aspen Workforce Strategies Initiative
August 2015
advanced manufacturing strategy. The strategy has assessed industry and workforce needs for advanced
manufacturing operations, identifying workforce development as critical to improve regional manufacturing. IMCP
designation has united local and regional efforts among consortium members, resulting in apprenticeships,
internships, and other collaborative efforts.
The partnership, led by the Northwest Georgia Regional Workforce Partnership (NWGRWP), now hopes to generate
interest in manufacturing at the high school level and STEM fields at the middle school level; increase enrollment in
technical fields, including high school dual enrollments, to meet the demand for workers in the floor covering industry;
and develop accelerated training to bring those who have “dropped out” of the labor force back to work in the region’s
manufacturing sector.
While the floor covering subsector is the initial focus, the NWGRWP believes that workforce development strategies
and insight gained during the Communities that Work Partnership will translate to other manufacturing sectors with
shared skills and talent needs in the larger Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama region.
CTWP Learning Objectives



How do other community and industry leaders in (rural) manufacturing clusters adapt curricula in response to
industry needs; promote STEM and industry-based career paths to students, parents, educators, and school
counselors; work with industry competitors to advance shared training assets and educational needs; and
build talent and resource networks across regions and states?
How should the partnerships be structured to build state support for industries with historic disinvestment,
represent the interests of minority and
underrepresented
populations
in
their
partnerships, and address changes in key
How should partnerships maintain
leadership positions and maintaining continuity
momentum on large, multi-year projects?
within a partnership?
How should partnerships maintain momentum
on large, multi-year projects; target specific workforce development solutions to meet the needs of their
vulnerable populations; and utilize data reporting tools for tracking workforce development metrics across
multiple sectors (i.e., education, local government, and industry/employers)?
Lead Agency and Partner Organizations
Northwest Georgia Regional Workforce Partnership
 J+J Flooring Group
 Technical College System of Georgia
 Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce
Target Region
The Northwest Georgia Regional Workforce Partnership (NWGRWP) serves the 15-county Northwest Georgia region
that includes the following counties: Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Haralson,
Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield.
Communities that Work Partnership, Aspen Workforce Strategies Initiative
August 2015