More than 30 Oswego County high schoolers proved they already have the skills to join the workforce when they recently earned a national work-readiness credential. A total of 34 students in the Oswego County Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) received their ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) in a ceremony at Onondaga Community College after completing assessments determining their skills with workplace documents, applied math and graphic literacy. The ACT WorkKeys initiative, which is partially funded by the Richard S. Shineman Foundation and Operation Oswego County, is offered at no cost to students or their families.
P-TECH students simultaneously earn their Regents Diploma and an Associate in Applied Science Degree in either Electrical Engineering Technology or Mechanical Technology, and also gain industry experience. The students are the first from the Oswego County P-TECH program to receive the NCRC credential.
The Inspire Center, the city of Oswego’s latest workforce development program, will open its doors today to residents looking to find employment that suits their needs and skill sets. The new initiative will operate out of the city’s Section Eight Rental Assistance Office and will provide residents with access to computers and guidance toward education opportunities, according to County Legislator Nathan Emmons, R-Oswego, who will oversee the program. The Work Ready endeavor in Oswego aims to graduate students with an ACT National Career Readiness Certificate, which according to officials earns them a national credential announcing them as a skilled member of the workforce.
Twelve participants of the Oswego County Summer Youth Employment Program earned a national work readiness credential this summer through a new initiative. Qualified volunteers for this initiative were recruited from the Oswego County Summer Youth Employment Program, and received the NCRC in an Aug. 28 ceremony at Cayuga’s Fulton Campus.
Oswego County is working towards becoming the first county is New York state to be able to prove it has a skilled workforce for employers.
The ACT Work Ready Communities Initiative is off and running in Oswego County, with ACT WorkKeys centers at Cayuga Community College’s Fulton Campus, Oswego County Opportunities offices in Fulton and Oswego, the city of Oswego Rental Assistance Program, CiTi BOCES and the Fulton and Mexico locations of Oswego County Workforce New York.
Carla DeShaw, who is the executive dean of community education and workforce development at CCC and delivered the keynote address this year, briefed attendees on the American College Testing (ACT) Work Ready Oswego NY initiative, which she said offers career training and aims to diversify the workforce pool for local employers.
