To get people working again, Texas looks to Georgia

By MITCHELL SCHNURMAN

mschnurman@star-telegram.com

Georgia has figured out a way to get a bigger payoff from unemployment benefits, and the idea is spreading to Texas, albeit in a diluted form.

Called Georgia Works, the training program can operate as an extended job tryout that offers something for employers and job seekers alike.

For up to six weeks, companies can offer part-time work — classified as training in order to comply with labor laws — to anyone collecting unemployment insurance. And employers don’t have to pay wages, benefits or workers comp.

Job candidates, who are typically required to accept any suitable work to keep state aid, can walk away from these auditions without risk of losing their remaining benefits.

"Unemployment insurance is a high cliff, and there’s no room for error or exploration," says Michael Thurmond, commissioner of the Georgia Labor Department. "This program eliminates that worry, and that’s especially important to people changing their careers."

For employers, the no-cost proposition is a no-lose way to test a promising candidate.

"Companies can’t afford to be wrong in hiring these days, and this reduces that risk," Thurmond says.

Thurmond developed Georgia Works six years ago without funding or approval from state lawmakers or the governor. Almost 6,000 people have landed full-time positions, and he says that employers and the state have saved millions by reducing weekly unemployment payments.

Nearly 60 percent of participants convert the tryouts into a permanent post, and others benefit from making new contacts, sharpening skills and recirculating in the workplace.

Last month, Georgia expanded the program to all unemployed workers and started a marketing campaign. Thurmond says the goal is to funnel 10 percent of the state’s unemployed, or about 30,000 people, into Georgia Works.

This is the kind of bright initiative that states are looking for today — a way to get people working again and employers hiring without spending a lot more public money.

Last week, the Texas Workforce Commission began implementing a project that’s partly modeled on Georgia Works. One big difference is that it’s limited to people who previously made less than $15 an hour, or about $30,000 a year.

Called the Texas Back to Work Initiative, it gives five options to local work force boards to reach out to the unemployed. One operates like Georgia Works and may include a state stipend, if the board chooses. The Georgia program pays job seekers up to $50 a week to cover child care or transportation while training for the new post.

This year, the Texas Legislature approved $15 million for work force development. One-third is earmarked for apprenticeships, with the rest headed to the 28 local work force boards that coordinate training through the state.

"Georgia Works is a great program, and I’m a big fan, but it’s no panacea," says Larry Temple, executive director of the Texas Workforce Commission in Austin.

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