Newton College and Career Academy, a new school in the Newton County Public Schools system, will hold their official grand opening on Tuesday, April 17. Immediately following the ribbon cutting ceremony, NCCA will host the Annual Workforce Development Summit for local business and community leaders. Lt. Governor Casey Cagle will attend the ribbon cutting.

“Offering a qualified workforce remains an integral part of the recruitment of new businesses and industries to our communities,” said Shannon Davis, Director of Economic Development of Business Retention and Expansion. “As our nation and state work to address the broadening skills gap in the workforce at the macro level, the Office of Economic Development at the Covington/Newton County Chamber of Commerce is gathering stakeholders for a real-time look at aligning our efforts and replicating best practices.”

According to James Woodard, CEO/Principal of the Newton College and Career Academy, the 2012 Annual Workforce Development Summit will bring local, regional, and state agency leaders together with elected officials and leaders in the fields of business, education, and economic development to channel the discussion into a course of action.  

Scheduled panelists include Mark Butler, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Labor; Gretchen Corbin, Deputy Commissioner, Georgia Department of Economic Development; Larry Teems, Acting President of Georgia Piedmont Technical College, and John Zegers, Director, Centers of Innovation for Manufacturing.

“The official opening of Newton College and Career Academy is a milestone for career preparation in Newton County,” said Woodard. “Students will now a have a 1st class facility to begin their journey into more than 20 career pathways. The NCCA opening coupled with synergy created from the Work Force Development Summit will help catapult Newton County into the future of preparing this community for job creation.”