Each year, thousands of elected and appointed government officials, development authority board members, administrators and economic development executives work to improve their knowledge and leadership skills and sharpen their understanding of key economic development concepts and processes in a variety of training and professional development opportunities that we offer. Participants benefit from the advanced instructional tools and broad expertise that our instructors bring to all of our education and professional development programs.
State government officials and administrators take advantage of our many comprehensive and customizable professional development programs to enhance their ability to maximize agency resources and serve customers effectively. Participants can engage in introductory, intermediate or advanced development classes designed by our faculty with broad expertise in professional and governmental problem solving and training.
We offer a two-level Development Authority Training Program—Basic and Advanced.
The Basic Training provides the statutorily mandated training required for all development authority board members, while the Advanced Training provides more in-depth instruction on how to secure the resources and incentives needed to market your community and close the deal. Course participants receive a certificate for each course completed. The Advanced training is customized for your community, so contact us for more information about bringing this to your group.
View more information or register for Development Authority Training.
The Georgia Certified Economic Developer program provides training tailored to meet the unique needs of communities throughout the state. The customized curriculum provides economic development professionals training on practical topics that they can immediately apply within their community to help achieve economic success.
The certification program focuses on five key competency areas and allows participants to select from two specialty tracks, Industry Knowledge or Leadership Development. Courses are taught in central locations around the state with rolling course schedules that allow participants to complete certification in as little as three years.
The Georgia Certified Economic Developer (GCED) program, created in partnership with the Georgia Economic Developers Association, offers economic development professionals Georgia-specific training on practical topics that can be immediately applied within your community to achieve economic success.
Receive your certification from the University of Georgia through the GCED program, offered by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government.
courses tailored to the specific needs of Georgia's communities
two specialty tracks to choose from
more cost-effective than other economic development training
taught in central locations around the state
complete your certification in as little as two to three years
practical, skills-based training with immediate application
This certificate program helps improve the effectiveness and performance of economic development professionals by enhancing their knowledge and skills in five competency areas:
professionalism and initiative
technical and industry knowledge
analyzing, assessing and problem solving
relationship building
leadership and influence
GCED certification is awarded to participants who complete a total of 60 hours of course work and a capstone portfolio project. The program is broken down into five core courses that account for 36 hours of course work and an additional 24 hours of elective credit from two specializations, Industry Knowledge or Leadership Development.
View more information on the certification program and register today.