FTC: About the Georgia Department of Labor career centers, you have said, "We're building a statewide system that will be designed around the needs of job seekers and employers. "Would you comment on "system building," both from how you've been putting those career centers together and also on what you've observed as a friend of technical education as you've watched that system develop?

MT: Our mission is to build a seamless, statewide workforce-development system that will serve Georgia employers and job seekers now and in the future. And, of course, our key partner in this effort is the Department of Technical and Adult Education and Commissioner Breeden, who is a personal friend and mentor of mine, and it's something that he and I have discussed throughout my career in state government. I believe that the partnership between DTAE and the Georgia Department of Labor is the cornerstone of Georgia's statewide workforce-development system. Obviously, the technical college system is the premier provider of technical- vocational training and education in this state. When DTAE provides quality graduates, we're pro-vided with quality job seekers. This partnership will serve the needs of employers, as Georgia continues to be a leader in the creation of new jobs and employment opportunities.

FTC: When did the career-center effort begin?

MT: In 1998, I campaigned on this issue. Clearly, the physical transformation is an important component of transforming the old unemployment offices into career centers, and it recognizes the major changes that have taken place in Georgia, in America, relative to our workforce. We do not want to be the forum of last resort, the place where you come when all else has failed. We want to be a more proactive part of the career-building process to help those who are looking for a job if they're unemployed, and to help people who want to improve their skills get access to information about training and educational resources, as well as financial aid and other support. We are an integral part of it; it's a very integrated approach. It's a system that I believe recognizes that only by working together can we provide Georgia's taxpayers with services that they truly need and deserve.

FTC: The Career Opportunity Expos that your department has been hosting in response to the recession have been well received. What makes them unique?

MT: Of course, we've helped thousands of Georgians to find jobs during a very difficult time. But, beyond that, what makes the Expos unique from job fairs we have sponsored in the past is that we invite other public and private partners, technical colleges, Peach Care, Family and Children Services, and the HOPE Scholarship and Grant program to participate. They're all on-site at the Expos. The other thing is, through technological innovation, we are now able to provide citizens with online job-search assistance. They can also file for unemployment insurance benefits online at our Expo sites. One of the other things that I'm very proud of, as we build this network, is that we partner with DTAE to help establish satellite one-stop centers that are now available on every technical college campus, as well as satellite campuses around the state. Citizens don't necessarily have to go to a career center to get our services. We want to be not only more effective, but more convenient for them.

FTC: That's great.

MT: And, I want to add, that's now possible because of an agreement we made with Commissioner Breeden through a federal one-stop career grant that we received in 1999.We basically agreed that we understand how important it is for the relationship to grow and prosper. So, we set up a contract where the money was transferred to DTAE, and these one-stop centers were set up all across the state of Georgia. No other state can boast of, or even claim to have, the kind of integrated-service approach that we have here in our state.

FTC: The workshops at the Expos seem like a great idea. Were they well received?

MT: Very. As a matter of fact, we've had to expand the number of workshops available at the Expos that we've had in Atlanta and Columbus. The workshops deal with résumé writing, how to negotiate a salary, and how to conduct an interview. Those are things that many of us take for granted, but clearly when you're in a soft job market and jobs are hard to find, upgrading your job-search skills can oftentimes be the difference between success and failure.

FTC: A representative from AFLAC said the Expo was, from her perspective, a "slam dunk." What ideas do you have for future innovations?

MT: Well, obviously to continue to improve on customer service. That's something you never perfect, but it's a goal you always work toward. We really place a great emphasis on customer service — on treating other people the way we would like to be treated if, for some reason, we sought our services. Beyond that, I would like to see many more resources made available for training and helping the technical colleges to build capacity. That's a concept Dr. Breeden and I follow. He taught me the whole notion of "building capacity." And that's simply this: we're not in the training business, so it was in our best interest to assist those who are. We're not in the technical-education business, so that's why we worked hard to get resources to the technical colleges and schools, so that they can do a better job and that more people can get access to training. A better-trained workforce gives us a better product to market to employers across the state of Georgia. And beyond that, I just want to continue to build on my dream of building a world-class workforce for Georgia. That's the model for the department. That's my vision. I think that by building the workforce, we make Georgia much more attractive to industry, not only industry coming into our state, but also existing industry that needs to expand. In order for us to prosper in the 21st century, we really have to focus more on developing the workforce that we have.

FTC: You and Dr. Breeden have been friends for a long time.

MT: We developed a friendship while I was a state representative for Athens-Clarke County. And it has grown and developed over the years. As Director of the Department of Family and Children Services — the first week I was on the job — I called Dr. Breeden and told him I wanted to talk with him, and he said, 'Well, Mike, come on out.' I realized that, ultimately, in order to help people, welfare recipients or public-assistance recipients, we needed access to the technical colleges and universities. We talked about building capacity. We used TANF dollars to build capacity at the technical colleges. I said to Dr. Breeden, 'Let us help build the capacity here.' And that friendship has really blossomed over the years. And when I say he's a mentor, I really mean it. When I have difficult issues — political, professional, or otherwise he's one of the first people I call.