Luckily, Georgia is in good shape on that account. For more than 32 years, the state's Quick Start program has been providing free training to new and expanding industries and contributing to Georgia's tremendous economic growth.

Quick Start has been extremely successful and has attracted industry to the state, according to Jeffrey Humphreys, director of economic forecasting at the University of Georgia. Fortune and Training magazines have cited Quick Start as one of the most effective high-quality, advanced training programs in the nation.

And if that's not enough, quick Start's client list reads like a Who's Who of Fortune 500 companies: Frito Lay, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Georgia, Caterpillar, Georgia Pacific and Motorola, to name a few. More than 3,100 companies and nearly 325,000 workers have benefited from the program since its inception.

Training is specifically geared to the skills a company needs — everything from electronics to printing to services. And the training can reach every corner of the state because it is delivered through DTAE's network of 34 technical institutes, 17 satellite campuses and four colleges.

In the early days, Quick Start focused on training workers for manufacturing with much success. For example, productivity improved at Kubota from 15 man-hours to build a unit in 1989 to less than six, in part due to training.

Since 1991, offerings have expanded to include the service industry. For example, at Equifax and Holiday Inn Worldwide, trainees ranging from lawyers to managers to the mailroom clerks have received Quick Start training in customer service and continuous improvement.

The program's benefits to the Atlanta area are obvious, but Quick Start training also has helped revitalize rural areas by attracting new enterprises while making existing businesses more competitive. If a company needs to change a method of operation to stay competitive, Quick Start training can help a company make these changes. The result is good for everyone— the company stays competitive and jobs stay in Georgia. And companies considering expansion or relocation to Georgia are confident that Quick Start can provide the skilled workforce they need.