When companies look to expand or relocate, workforce development is no longer an afterthought—it’s a primary factor in site selection. The days of simply considering grants or tax breaks are gone. For many businesses, especially in sectors like manufacturing and advanced technologies, the question is: Can you provide the skilled workers I need today and train the workforce I’ll need tomorrow? Five states—Georgia, Virginia, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Alabama—lead the way in workforce development according to Area Development’s Top States for Doing Business rankings. But what makes these programs stand out?

Customization: The True Differentiator
The most successful workforce development programs aren’t cookie-cutter. They are highly flexible and customizable, designed to cater to the unique requirements of each industry and company. This level of customization is why programs like the Virginia Talent Accelerator and Georgia Quick Start have maintained their position at the top of the rankings.

“What makes Virginia’s program stand out isn’t just the quality of training—it’s the level of customization they offer,” explains Jacob DiMattia, Vice President-Location Strategies at Evergreen Advisors. “From developing industry-specific video training to creating custom equipment simulations, Virginia goes above and beyond to tailor their approach.”

Lauren Berry, Senior Manager, Location Analysis and Incentives at Maxis Advisors, agrees:

“It’s one thing for a state to offer training funds. It’s another thing entirely to build a training program that fits exactly what a company needs, whether that’s for advanced manufacturing, biotech, or any other specialized field. That’s where the best programs excel—by being flexible and truly customizable.”

Why Customization Matters: Addressing Industry-Specific Needs
Customization is particularly important for industries that require specialized skills—think advanced manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, or aerospace. While some states rely on off-the-shelf training from community colleges, the most effective programs work directly with businesses to create industry-specific training materials.

“In manufacturing, you can’t have generic training,” says Brian Corde, Owner and Managing Partner at Atlas Insights. “You need trainers who understand your specific equipment and processes. That’s why states like Georgia, Virginia, and South Carolina have such strong programs—they customize the training to each company’s needs, down to the specific tools and technologies being used.”

In South Carolina, the ReadySC program excels in developing custom curricula in partnership with local businesses. The state’s ability to adapt training for different industries—from automotive to high-tech manufacturing—has made it one of the top workforce programs in the country.

The Shift from Grants to Services
Historically, workforce development incentives were primarily grant-based, but that model has evolved. Today’s leading programs deliver hands-on services that go beyond what a typical grant can provide.

Scott McMurray, Deputy Commissioner of Georgia’s Quick Start, attributes the program’s success to its ability to adapt to the specific needs of each industry. Quick Start has been evolving since 1967, and much of its strength comes from its hands-on approach and deep integration with the companies it serves.

“We don’t offer off-the-shelf training. Our approach is to form partnerships with companies, customize training programs to meet their specific needs, and ensure their workforce is ready from day one,” says McMurray

Case Study: Customization in Action with Kia Motors
One of Georgia Quick Start’s landmark partnerships is with Kia Motors, a relationship that began in 2008 and has helped cement Georgia as a leader in automotive manufacturing. When Kia first opened its plant in West Point, Quick Start developed a state-of-the-art training center for the automaker. As Kia shifted to manufacturing electric vehicles, Quick Start quickly adapted, sending teams to Korea to study Kia’s processes for building electric vehicles (EVs).

“We sent our team to Korea to document the assembly of EVs, and we developed customized training materials to ensure that Georgia’s workforce could handle this new technology,” says McMurray. “That’s the level of partnership we’re committed to—deep, seamless integration”

Georgia’s Quick Start not only customized the training for EVs but also developed a Battery Safety Program, a critical component given the risks associated with lithium-ion batteries.

“When Kia needed a safety program for their EV battery production, we didn’t just tweak an old curriculum—we built it from scratch. That’s customization at its best, and every Kia employee went through the program, including the company’s president,” McMurray adds

The success of Quick Start is evident in its long track record of helping companies set up shop in the state, but it's also clear that other states are catching up. Virginia, for example, has taken the service-based approach to a new level with its Talent Accelerator program.

“Virginia doesn’t just offer training; they bring an entire recruitment and training infrastructure,” says Kris Weidling, Chief Human Resources Officer at Civica Rx, who has firsthand experience with the program. “They helped us recruit workers, trained them in-house with customized materials, and even developed video and 3D animations for our unique processes. It’s like having your own dedicated workforce development agency.”

Grant-Based vs. Service-Based: Finding the Right Fit
While the trend is moving toward service-based programs, grant-based incentives are still in play and often more familiar to companies. However, the challenge is that grant-based programs often come with strings attached, and their actual value can be difficult to quantify.

In Louisiana, FastStart combines both grant and service-based elements, offering companies flexibility. Berry notes that this hybrid approach can be particularly beneficial in industries where job roles are varied.

“Some clients prefer the grant-based programs because they want control over their training. Others prefer the service-based options because they don’t have the internal infrastructure to handle complex training needs,” says Berry. “The key is finding the balance between the two.”

Case Study: Civica Rx in Virginia
Civica Rx, a pharmaceutical company that recently expanded into Virginia, found the state's Talent Accelerator program to be an invaluable partner as they navigated the complexities of building a workforce from scratch. According to Weidling, the company was facing a unique challenge: They were a startup with no parent company to lean on for recruitment or HR support. They needed to hire over 360 employees, and they needed help—fast.

“We had 35 employees and no real hiring infrastructure. The Talent Accelerator team came in and immediately provided the kind of support you'd expect from a full-scale HR department," explains Weidling. "From recruitment strategies to onboarding, they were there every step of the way.”

One of the standout aspects of Virginia’s program was its ability to create high-quality training materials. Civica Rx needed detailed, industry-specific training modules, and the Talent Accelerator didn’t disappoint. The program produced everything from recruitment videos to training animations that were on par with what Civica Rx had seen at much larger pharmaceutical companies.

“Their audiovisual team delivered work that rivaled what I’d seen from big pharma companies,” Weidling continues. "It’s rare to get that level of support from a state-run program.”

Pre-Employment Training: A Key Differentiator
What sets the top workforce programs apart isn’t just what happens after employees are hired. Increasingly, states are focusing on pre-employment training to ensure that workers are ready to hit the ground running. Virginia, for example, offers customized pre-employment training through its Talent Accelerator program.

“The fact that they were able to train people before they even walked through the door was huge for us,” says Weidling says. “It saved us months of ramp-up time.”

Similarly, Corde remembers working with a manufacturing client who chose Virginia over other states precisely because of the state’s pre-employment training focus.

“We were looking at several states—Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. The deciding factor was Virginia’s ability to deliver ready-trained workers. Their Talent Accelerator wasn’t just filling seats; they were actively preparing people to succeed in our client’s facility,” says Corde.

Case Study: Virginia's Flexibility with Training Modalities
DiMattia recalls a recent project where the Virginia’s flexibility was the tipping point for choosing Virginia over other states. The company was in advanced manufacturing, and it required highly specialized training that could not be delivered by traditional community college programs.

“What Virginia offered was next-level customization. The Talent Accelerator wasn’t just pushing pre-packaged solutions. They developed custom video training modules specific to our client’s machines. That level of detail made all the difference,” says DiMattia.

Virginia’s ability to offer this level of customization is what has helped its Talent Accelerator program gain ground on Georgia’s Quick Start, which has long been considered the gold standard.

The Role of Technical Colleges: Outsourcing vs. Skilled Trainers
In many states, community and technical colleges are often the backbone of workforce development efforts. These institutions provide crucial job-specific training for local industries, particularly in sectors like manufacturing, aerospace, and automotive. However, while technical colleges can be an essential part of a state’s workforce strategy, over-reliance on them without specialized expertise can limit the effectiveness of training programs. Several consultants we interviewed pointed to the pitfalls of states that simply funnel workforce development efforts through the community college system without customizing or upgrading the level of instruction.

Corde explains the issue clearly:

“A lot of states just hand workforce training over to the community colleges. The problem is, while these colleges are great for general education, they don’t always have the specific skills required for highly technical industries. You can’t have a community college professor teaching a curriculum designed for advanced manufacturing or pharmaceutical biotech—it’s a completely different skill set.”

This outsourcing model may check the box for state programs, but it often doesn’t meet the practical needs of companies. When training programs lack depth and customization, companies have to fill in the gaps, costing them more time and money.

Skilled Trainers vs. Professors: The Expertise Gap
One of the core complaints about states that rely heavily on community colleges is that the instructors often don’t come from the industries they’re tasked with training for. While professors at these colleges may have academic knowledge, they may lack the hands-on, real-world experience that industries require. As Mike Grundmann from Virginia’s Talent Accelerator puts it:

“In Virginia, we’ve built an expert team of instructional design, talent acquisition, video production, graphic design, and organizational development professionals. They were all hired from the private sector having worked in advanced manufacturing, biotech, and high-tech fields. This expertise enables us to deliver services as good and often better than what you would get from top private sector vendors.”

By contrast, in states that rely primarily on community colleges, companies may find that the instructors simply don’t have the level of expertise needed to train workers on complex machinery or proprietary processes.

“What you often see with community college-based training is that the curriculum is too generalized. A professor teaching a standard class may not be able to adapt to a company’s specific needs. That’s where states like Georgia and Virginia shine—they go beyond that. They either bring in experienced trainers from the private sector or develop custom solutions that target the exact needs of the business,” Berry said.

Feedback Loops: How the Right Trainers Can Feed Back into College Programs
One innovative aspect of the leading workforce programs in states like South Carolina is how they create a feedback loop with community colleges and technical schools. Instead of relying on the colleges to lead the training, these states involve industry professionals to develop specialized curricula that the colleges can then adopt for future training needs. This integration ensures that the academic programs evolve in line with industry standards.

In Virginia, the Talent Accelerator doesn’t just train employees for immediate hiring needs; it also works with community colleges to upgrade their programs so that future students are better prepared for the workforce.

“In Virginia, they send skilled trainers—people with real-world experience—to work alongside community college instructors. After the initial training, the colleges often adopt parts of the customized curriculum. This means that the next generation of workers is already getting the specialized skills that companies need. It’s a sustainable model that benefits both the company and the local workforce in the long run,” DiMattia said.

South Carolina’s ReadySC program operates similarly by partnering with companies to develop training modules that are then implemented across the state’s technical college system.

As Berry notes, this kind of collaboration ensures that both the immediate and future workforce needs are met:
“States like South Carolina get it. They bring in the experts to develop industry-specific training, and then they make sure that the local colleges can carry that training forward. It’s not about outsourcing everything to the colleges—it’s about building the expertise in-house and making sure the community benefits long-term,” Berry said.

Case Study: Alabama’s AIDT Program
One of the best examples of this integrated approach comes from Alabama’s AIDT program, which is often hailed as one of the most effective workforce training initiatives in the country. Alabama works directly with companies to create bespoke training programs, but it doesn’t stop there. The state also invests in equipment and curriculum development for its community and technical colleges, ensuring that they can continue to provide top-tier training after the initial workforce has been prepared.

Geoff Troan, Managing Director, Site Selection at Vista Site Selection remembers a visit to one of Alabama’s training centers:
“What struck me about Alabama was their willingness to invest in real equipment. The workers were training on the same machinery they would use in the plant. It wasn’t some simulation—it was the real deal. And then, once the initial training was done, that equipment stayed with the local technical college, so they could train future workers on the same high-tech machines.”

This hands-on approach, which integrates private sector expertise with state and college resources, is becoming a hallmark of the top-ranked workforce programs. It’s a model that not only meets immediate hiring needs but also builds a pipeline of skilled workers for the future.

The Pitfalls of Over-Reliance on Colleges
On the other hand, states that rely too heavily on community colleges without integrating industry expertise often struggle to deliver the same results. In some cases, companies have had to retrain workers after they’ve completed community college courses because the training didn’t match the needs of their specific industry. Sarah White, Principal, VP of Site Selection at Global Location Strategies, has seen this happen firsthand.

“In states where they just leave training up to the colleges, you see a lot of mismatches. A company will hire someone who has a technical degree, but that person still needs extensive retraining because the community college program wasn’t tailored enough to the industry’s needs. It’s frustrating for both the employer and the worker.”

States like Texas, which primarily funnel workforce incentives through community colleges, often face this challenge. Without a system in place to provide specialized training or to involve industry professionals, the workforce development program can fall short.

Recruitment and Marketing: A Full-Service Solution
Another area where workforce development programs are evolving is in their support for recruitment and marketing efforts. Virginia’s Talent Accelerator has become a leader in this space, offering companies marketing support that rivals what they’d get from a professional agency.

“When we had a hiring spike, they didn’t just help us train people—they helped us market the jobs,” explains Weidling from Civica Rx. “They developed a full campaign, complete with Hulu ads and billboards. It was like having a full-service marketing agency in-house.”

This multi-faceted approach is increasingly becoming the norm among top-ranked states. In Georgia, Quick Start also offers recruitment support, although it has historically been more focused on large projects. According to Corde, one area where Quick Start may be falling behind is its reluctance to engage smaller projects.

“Georgia has traditionally been great with large projects, but if you’re a smaller company, you may not get the same level of service. Virginia, on the other hand, treats every project like it’s the next big thing,” says Corde.

The Future of Workforce Development
As the competition between states heats up, workforce development programs will continue to evolve. The trend toward service-based incentives shows no sign of slowing, and states that invest in high-quality training, marketing, and recruitment services will continue to lead the pack.

Looking ahead, the states that succeed will be the ones that can balance flexibility with quality, offering both grant-based and service-based solutions to meet the diverse needs of today’s industries. Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Alabama are already setting the standard—but as demand for skilled workers grows, other states will need to catch up.

The big takeaway
For companies considering where to expand or relocate, workforce development is critical. The best programs—those in Georgia, Virginia, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Alabama—don’t just offer grants or basic training. They provide comprehensive, customized solutions that meet companies' specific needs, from pre-employment training to marketing and recruitment. These states have shown that workforce development isn’t just about filling jobs—it’s about building a skilled workforce that can adapt to the needs of tomorrow.