MOULTRIE — Get ready for Work Ready.

The Moultrie-Colquitt County Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Department of Labor and Moultrie Technical College are joining forces to refine the job applicant pool, match candidates to jobs and identify skill gaps that could hinder productivity. The effort is part of Gov. Sonny Perdue’s Work Ready initiative.

High school graduates, technical graduates and those actively seeking employment will be targeted for Work Ready tests, said Moultrie-Colquitt County Chamber of Commerce President Darrell Moore, who is also executive director of the development authority. Moore said he expects about 2,000 people in Colquitt County to be Work Ready certified over the span of two years.

For employers, participation in the prescreening initiative might reduce turnover, overtime and waste while increasing morale. Insisting upon Work Ready certificates from applicants for certain positions would result in a 67 percent reduction in cost and time to hire qualified job candidates and a 30 percent improvement in production efficiency, information from the Work Ready program said.

Moultrie Tech will develop profiles of jobs for employers at no cost for companies if the company is hiring 15 or more new workers, information from the Work Ready program said. Each job profile could take as long as 50 hours, so Moore recommends that job profiling be done when there are problems present, such as high turnover. Gap training will be provided at MTC. The Department of Labor and MTC will administer the certification tests.

“Ideally, every employer would participate and know what the test scores were that were required for the jobs available and everybody would have a Work Ready certificate and match up the employees with the jobs they are eligible for,” Moore said.

Testing will be in three areas: Reading for information, applied mathematics, locating information and an optional personal skills talent assessment.

More than 100 counties in Georgia have committed to the governor’s campaign. Participation in Work Ready will qualify the region for grants, he said.

Already, MTC and Valdosta Technical College have applied for a $500,000 grant for more staff to conduct work assessments. The grant application centered around the medical industry, home heath care, aging populations and the pharmaceutical industry.

“We’re in the process of trying to attract 35 new physicians, and all need support staff. We would try to come up with training programs that would be supportive of the medical industry,” Moore said.

The state has made overtures that additional statewide funding eventually would be tied to the Work Ready certificate program. Almost every county is aspiring to become Work Ready certified, he said.

Colquitt County would have to have 3 percent of its existing workforce Work Ready certified, Moore said. Other participation requirements would be 25 percent of people registering with the Department of Labor, 25 percent of MTC graduating class and 25 percent of the high school’s graduating class.

“I think if everyone takes advantage of it, it’s going to benefit the community,” Moore said.