The No. 1 attribute that business leaders say will they want in their employees is the ability to collaborate, according to a report to Gov. Nathan Deal on high demand careers.
The report also states the top five careers of the future in Georgia are mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, welder, machinist, and computer numerical control operator, according to the report.
For these technical skills to provide their full value, employees must have “soft skills.” The report defines soft skills in terms that ...more
Atlanta city officials are to meet Tuesday with vendors to begin the process of monetizing the public space in order to generate up to $5 million a year.
The idea is for Atlanta to collect fees for allowing private companies to install “amenities” in commercial areas. Boston is cited as one example of the concept, for its $21 million, 20-year contract for advertising on street furniture.
Atlanta has issued a request for information and has scheduled a pre-conference Tuesday to answer questions ...more
Gov. Nathan Deal has established a water czar to focus the state’s efforts on water supply and litigation.
Although water supply wasn’t much of an issue during the recent gubernatorial campaign, Deal established the position just a month after the election and on the eve of the 2015 legislative session – during which Deal may ask lawmakers to provide additional money for dams and other water projects.
Reservoirs are just one of several state water policies that continue to draw fire from ...more
Just minutes after he was named GRTA’s executive director, Chris Tomlinson was busy Wednesday talking about potential synergy between GRTA and the state agency that oversees managed lanes.
“We’ll roll out incentives to get more people to take advantage of transit,” Tomlinson said. “We hope to shift people out of vehicles, especially at the peaks, and take advantage of what transit providers already are doing.”
This outlook, of merging two state agencies that oversee alternate modes of transit, evidently is what Gov. ...more
MARTA’s latest contract negotiation with its labor union could help MARTA curb its personnel costs by reducing absenteeism and the overtime costs it creates.
Absent workers represent one of the main categories where MARTA could cut costs, according to the management audit conducted in 2012 by the consulting firm KPMG. MARTA covers for absent workers by approving overtime pay for their replacements.
KPMG recommended MARTA implement programs to ensure employees show up for work. MARTA followed the recommendation in the first contract ...more
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has appointed Dan Halpern, a politically influential Atlanta businessman whom Reed previously placed on the board of the Atlanta Housing Authority, to represent Atlanta on the Airport West Community Improvement District.
This CID was formed earlier this year to promote a region west of the airport. The CID’s board approved in June an annual budget of $1.6 million to fund various planned improvements.
Halpern’s appointment is on track to be confirmed by the Atlanta City Council in January. ...more
Memorial Drive has the potential to become a visually interesting and vibrant corridor along its section from Oakland Cemetery to the DeKalb County line.
At least, that’s the opinion of a group of Georgia Tech students who have spent their fall semester analyzing Memorial Drive. On Wednesday, they unveiled a report they and their professor think is so well developed that parts of it are ready to be implemented.
Students crafted their report with the details typical of reports created with funding ...more
Georgia State and the CDC have teamed up on a two-year research project to evaluate how the Atlanta BeltLine is affecting the quality of life of people who live near it.
The BeltLine is the nation’s largest urban renewal project. As such, there’s a great deal of interest in the degree to which the BeltLine can improve the physical and mental well being of people who live near it or use it regularly.
The new study will address some of those issues. ...more
Atlanta will continue to allow 10-year-old taxis to operate in the city under legislation slated for adoption Monday by the Atlanta City Council.
This is to be the fourth waiver of the age limit on the city’s taxi fleet since Mayor Kasim Reed’s administration began an effort in July 2011 to clean and modernize the city’s fleet of up to 1,600 vehicles for hire.
This effort may gain new life in the council in 2015.
The pending legislation calls on the council’s Public ...more
MARTA has scheduled two meetings in early December to enable the public to learn about, and comment on, plans to advance the proposed light rail line that’s to stretch from the Lindbergh Station, through the Clifton Road corridor, to the Avondale Station.
The proposed light rail line that would serve the Emory University area has been discussed for nearly 20 years.
The meetings are scheduled for Dec. 4 and Dec. 9, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Details of the locations are ...more
