Skilled trade supporters gathered at the State Capitol Tuesday to push “Go Build Georgia.”

It’s a new program created to educate students on the value of learning a skilled trade.

The goal is to fill Georgia’s so-called “skills gap” – which happens when companies look to hire but candidates don’t have the skills to fill the positions.

Skilled trades include truckers, electricians and carpenters.

Governor Nathan Deal says that most people don’t know that Georgia companies are set to open more than 16,000 skilled trade positions this year:

“We want the citizens of this great state to build our airplanes, bridges, automobiles and we need to take the necessary steps to ensure that Georgians are equipped to manage our energy and our telecommunication infrastructure.”

The Governor’s Office of Work Force Development and Go Build Georgia will begin a 13-stop regional tour Feb. 7th at Whitfield County Career Academy in Dalton.

Tags: capitol, skilled trade, Go Build Georgia, Mike Rowe, skills gap