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Three Workforce Development Trends from the 2019 ACT Workforce Summit November 13, 2019

It might take a village to raise a child, but it certainly takes a whole community to boost an economy. Educators, business and industry leaders, workforce and economic development professionals, government officials, workers, job seekers—we all have a stake in the regional and national economy, and we all affect its success or failure. The 400-strong crowd of attendees at this year’s ACT Workforce Summit, held in late October, know this fact better than most. ACT has specialized in bringing groups like this together for decades, offering them measurement, growth, and reporting tools to help them speak a common language based on the work-ready skills needed for regional economies to prosper. We were very proud to host this year’s event in Charlotte, North Carolina—our first-ever summit held in a participating ACT Work Ready Community. 

Help Wanted: Too Many Jobs and Not Enough Workers in Most States November 12, 2019

As Work Ready Community leaders strive to close skill gaps and encourage prosperity, more news on the skill gaps out this month makes the mission even more relevant.  A labor shortage is jeopardizing economic expansion in almost every state, putting pressure on lawmakers to find ways to attract more residents and coax people who have dropped out of the workforce to rejoin it

Hawkins County recognized at ACT Workforce Summit November 12, 2019

Hawkins County was recognized for its workforce development achievements over the past year at the ACT Workforce Summit in Charlotte, N.C. on Oct. 29, along with 48 other participating ACT Work Ready Communities.

Incarceration to Employment: Re-Entry Essential Element of Workforce November 11, 2019

Featuring Metropolitan Community of College of Omaha alongside Houston Community College at the ACT Workforce Summit

Local WV Chamber examines workforce issues November 11, 2019

A special Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting Wednesday featured multiple speakers concerning the workforce in West Virginia. The session covered current opportunities with Work Ready Communities, ways to assist employers, and the Summer Highlands Internship Program, among others. 

Workforce Summit Recap and Resources Now Online November 07, 2019

2019's ACT Workforce Summit in Charlotte, NC October 28-30 provided the Inside Track to foster vibrant partnerships, sustain a robust workforce, and ultimately make an impact in our communities. Visit the summit page for session resources and the recap video.

Jeff Fox: A tool to assess worker readiness November 04, 2019

Local business leaders are still pushing to get Jackson County registered as a “Certified Work Ready Community.” About 200 businesses need to sign up for that to happen.

“It’s important to do this, even if you’re not hiring right now,” Lara Vermillion, president of the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce, told business owners and others at a recent chamber gathering

Jeff Fox: A step toward an improved workforce November 04, 2019

Lara Vermillion, president of the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce, was giving her members an update on the Certified Work Ready Community program. Workers take a test akin to the ACT most of us took in high school. It measures skill areas such as graphic literacy, applied math and workplace documents

Video Premiere: The ACT Workforce Ecosystem October 21, 2019

ACT offers the only comprehensive workforce development solution for businesses and communities. Supported by 483 counties across the country. Recognized by 25,000 businesses. Credentials awarded to 4.7 million individuals starting or advancing their careers. Our mission is to help create thriving workforce ecosystems that foster economic growth. From our industry-leading assessments like ACT WorkKeys and Tessera Workforce to our nationally-recognized career readiness credential, National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) and our skills validation platform, ACT Stack, ACT offers leading workforce development solutions that help businesses and communities thrive and prosper.

Site selector quote - Nortillo October 17, 2019

“Being a site selector I often find it difficult to compare labor force data when there is little information on how potential workforce will perform on assessments given by companies. Not only does Work Keys function as a preferred assessment tool in industry today but the ACT WorkReady Communities website allows me to compare communities so I can recommend to my clients the counties with the best scores and the percentage of the population that are taking the assessment”

This website reports the ACT® WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificates earned at the county and state level and the progress being made by those participating states and counties in the ACT Work Ready Community initiative. This site only represents data stored in the ACT RegiSTAR™ system, a web-based reporting and management tool for ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificates.

State and national ACT WorkKeys NCRC data runs from January 2006 through , while county-level data is starting from January 2012. State job profile data runs from January 2007 through , while national job profile data reaches back to 1993. Again, please note that county-level ACT WorkKeys NCRC data collection began in January 2012 for WorkKeys Internet Version, and in July 2012 for pencil and paper assessments. State and national certificate totals include historical data prior to 2012.

WorkKeys® assessments are used across the nation, and many states have built their own Career Readiness Certificates based upon WorkKeys assessment results. You will find an asterisk denoting those states. This website will continue to evolve as the first two rounds of participating states give us feedback on what they would like to see -- and based on your feedback, as well.

Please contact us if you have comments, questions or would like to receive more information.