Think a good resume is enough to land a job? Think again.

Some Georgia employers are looking for a Work Ready certificate to demonstrate a job candidate’s basic skills.

The Georgia Work Ready program is an initiative to produce a skilled workforce within the state that has access to better jobs.

A Work Ready certificate is earned through an assessment test that measures a worker’s basic core skills in three areas – math, locating information and reading for information – and their work habits.

Companies engaged in the program profile the level of skill required for their entry level positions.

Workers who have not earned the required level on their Work Ready certificate may take free gap training sessions online from Georgia technical colleges.

“The state is encouraging businesses to profile jobs,” said Jerry Barrow, a job profiler at Athens Technical College, in a phone interview Friday. “When they do, they find the skill levels required to enter and be successful in their job.”

Four companies in Athens use Work Ready profiles, and 40 more are interested in profiling their positions, Barrow said.

Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties have registered with the governor’s office to become certified as Work Ready communities, he said.

“This demonstrates to businesses that there is a skilled workforce within a particular community,” said Tom Gausvik, associate vice president of human resources at the University and chair of OneAthens workforce development committee.

To become certified, a community must meet two criteria: a percentage of the available and current workforce must be Work Ready certified and the community has to demonstrate a commitment to improving public high school graduation rates through a measurable increase, according to the Georgia Work Ready Web site.

In the Classic City, Athens Technical College is helping Clarke Central High School and Cedar Shoals High School reach their goal of graduating Work Ready certified seniors.

“The certification is an advantage to have because many employers across the country see the certification as entry into employment,” said Ronnie Swoopes, coordinator for work-based learning programs at Clarke Central High School. “Twenty-six to 28 states are looking at Work Ready certification.”

Athens Technical College staff will proctor the assessment test at the high schools once in the fall and spring semesters. They also offer free WIN training to high school seniors online, which allows them to take practice tests on the three skills areas.

After passing the assessment test, a person receives a grade level of bronze, silver, gold or platinum on a Work Ready certificate, which can be presented to employers, in addition to a resume. The grade level is based on the lowest score level earned in the three core skills areas.

“I think it’s a practical thing to have,” said Sandy Harrison, a professor at Clayton State University, who gives her students extra credit for becoming certified. “Work Ready certification means you are already validated by the state of Georgia when you go in for a job. That validation is objective. It’s based on a national test.”

The assessment test is offered for free at the state’s technical colleges and University System of Georgia schools with technical college divisions. It is taken online and is comprised of three sections, each lasting 55 minutes.

“People who do well in locating [information] are people who use graphical information in their work a lot, like electricians and architects,” Barrow said.

He said he has seen seniors in high school earn a platinum level certificate and a Ph.D. student earn a bronze level certificate.

Georgia Power was the first corporation to support the program in 2007, said Konswello Monroe, Georgia Power’s spokeswoman, in an e-mail interview Thursday.

“We profile apprentice (silver) and journey lineman (gold level) positions; we do not require the certificate but prefer it,” she said.

Profiling positions using Work Ready levels has positively affected the company, she said.

“Work Ready certification has reduced our internal costs to hire and improve the retention of apprentice line workers,” Monroe said. “Georgia Work ready is a portable credential that is recognized nationally.”