WorkEthics.org

History of Georgia's Work Ethics Program
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1995

The work ethics effort in the State proved not to be consistent as indicated by the Institutional Effectiveness Review.

GDTAE Commissioner Ken Breeden directed the Presidents Council and its Technical Education Committee to form an ad hoc committee to evaluate and report on the implementation of the Work Ethics Program. The Technical Education Committee was chaired by James Bridges, President of Valdosta Technical Institute while the Work Ethics Ad Hoc Committee was chaired by Dr. Ken Allen, President of North Metro Technical Institute.

A survey was designed and administered at each of the 33 technical institutes for a statewide total of nearly 1,000 respondents. Based on the results of the survey, recommendations focused on the following:
• Continue the program. Reinvigorate it.
• Raise employers' awareness of the program.
• Raise students' awareness that their grades are on their transcripts.
• Broaden the enthusiasm of administrators and faculty.
• Give more guidance on work behaviors to be measured and shaped.
• Rewrite/sharpen focus of GDTAE standards/policies/ criteria.

1996

East Central Technical Institute held a business/industry forum. The principal need identified by the 84-business/industry leaders was training in Work Ethics. A team was formed at East Central Tech and tasked with finding a curriculum to teach students the concepts of a positive work ethic. Members of the team included: Larry Roberson, Hope Paulk, Teresa Wilson, Roger Crenshaw, Linda Rodgers, Beverly Lavender, Chuck Hudson, Glenda McDonald, and Brandi Wilkes.

A survey conducted by the Human Resource Institute (a non-profit research organization) at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, headed by Jay Jamrog, director of research, asked 576 top human resource directors at Fortune 500 firms in the United States to list their top 10 concerns for 1996. These HR executives were also asked to predict what their concerns would be nearly ten years later, in 2005. The following results were the top ten concerns for both 1996 and ten years later.

Top Ten Concerns for 1996	Top Ten Concerns for 2005
Managing change Skill level of workforce Health care costs Management issues Work ethics, values Improving productivity Focus on customer Communications Information technology Re-engineering	Skill level of workforce Managing change Information technology Aging workforce Management issues Quality of education Work ethics, values Managing diversity Improving productivity Communications

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