The PGA of America officially kicks-off its sixth annual National Jobs in Golf Month during the PGA Merchandise Show, showcasing a month long program linking employers in the golf industry with potential employees, both PGA Professionals and the general public, via the online Employment Center at www.PGA.com/employment.

"Whether you are a seasoned PGA Professional or new to the game, The PGA's Jobs In Golf Month campaign is a terrific opportunity to connect employers and jobseekers throughout the industry," said Brian Whitcomb, president of The PGA of America. In today's competitive environment, finding the most qualified and professional employees are an essential part to ensuring the vitality of a golf course, company or organization. This year's Jobs in Golf Month program will continue to provide opportunities to employers and jobseekers touching all aspects of the industry, including instruction, management, food and beverage, retail sales, and promotions.

The Employment Center site, geared at both employers and job seekers, serves as a clearinghouse of employment services. Through the site, employers can access nine regional PGA Career Consultants or upload job postings to the PGAjobfinder job database to hire candidates interested in working in various golf positions throughout the industry. During Jobs in Golf Month hundreds of positions will be available to PGA Professionals looking for positions ranging from teaching professionals to general management positions and jobseekers from the general public, looking for golf industry-related positions including sales representatives, marketing and public relations professionals, cart attendants and restaurant servers.

In addition, the Employment Center site also allows employers and the golfing public the opportunity to learn about The PGA Professional Golf Management Program (PGM) and PGA/PGM Accredited Universities, view career path definitions, hear testimonials from employers and jobseekers, and access detailed information on the Playing Ability Test (PAT) and the PAT schedule.

For employers, the Employment Center also offers access to CareerLinks, a complimentary employment referral service launched to help foster successful employment relationships between golf industry employers and qualified PGA Professionals. Since its inception, CareerLinks has assisted thousands of industry employers by providing access to more than 16,000 PGA trained professionals through an online database and access to nine regional PGA Career Consultants. The Consultants assist both employers and employees with employment referrals, executive recruiting, interview assistance and compensation information.

In connection with Jobs In Golf Month, The PGA of America recently commissioned a survey of current Certified PGA Professionals and found some interesting results about entering the golf industry professionally. Most notably, the survey found the following:

# Nearly half of those surveyed use the PGA Employment Center Web site at least once per week
# 96 percent of the Certified PGA Professional (CPP) graduates have applied the knowledge they gained from the CPP at their job
# Nearly half of those surveyed say the most rewarding facet of becoming a PGA Professional is gaining credibility in the industry
# More than 30 percent of CPP graduates have seen an increase in annual salary

One of the findings of the survey found that 32 percent of respondents said the biggest obstacle to pursuing a job in the golf industry was the availability of jobs.

Jobs In Golf Month was launched in 2003 and grew out of a campaign called Jobs In Golf Week, started in 2002. For more information on the PGA Employment Center or to find a PGA Career Consultant in your region go to the PGA Employment Center booth located at #5147 or visit the employment Web site at www.pga.com/employment.