Gov. Sonny Perdue recently announced the launch of Work Ready Connect, the state’s new online employment marketplace. The Web site, www.workreadyconnect.org, brings together Work Ready certified people and employers to ensure the right person is placed in the right job to drive success.

“Georgia Work Ready has transformed our state’s workforce and made our people our number one competitive advantage,” Perdue said. “Work Ready Connect will take us to a new level. It will help our citizens find high-quality jobs, help our companies connect with the right talent and help our communities drive economic growth.”

Work Ready Connect is free to individuals holding Work Ready certificates and companies that either prefer or require certificates as part of their hiring process. It is being launched in a partnership between the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.

For job seekers, Work Ready Connect helps them use their certificate to find the best job for their talents. Users can build a personalized employment profile, see recommended job opportunities, search for open positions and communicate with Georgia employers actively seeking candidates.

Companies can use Work Ready Connect to find job candidates with verified skills. Employers can create company profiles, post open jobs and invite qualified, Work Ready Certificate candidates to interview for their jobs.

“Work Ready Connect is helping us find the right talent for the right positions,” said Suzanne Sitherwood, president of Atlanta Gas Light and 2010 chair of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. “It is also helping our state demonstrate we are home to a world-class workforce.”

To date, more than 150,000 Georgians have earned Work Ready certificates and more than 540 companies are listed on the Georgia Work Ready Web site as preferring or requiring the certificate as part of their hiring process.

“Better jobs. Better workers. That’s what Work Ready Connect delivers,” Perdue said. “No other state in the country can offer such an innovative service.”

Georgia’s Work Ready initiative is based on a skills assessment and certification for job seekers and a job profiling system for businesses. By identifying both the needs of business and the available skills of Georgia’s workforce, the state can more effectively generate the right talent for the right jobs. The Certified Work Ready Community initiative builds on the assessments and job profiling system to create opportunities for greater economic development.

For more information on the Work Ready initiative visit the Web site at www.gaworkready.org.