News

Erin Olson, Senior Director of Strategic Research at Real Time Talent, discusses Minnesota’s educational and workforce challenges on episode 51 of ACT's Ready for Work podcast. Despite high labor force participation, Minnesota faces significant racial disparities in education and a talent shortage. Olson highlights the misalignment between workforce needs and available skills, emphasizing the need for strategic partnerships and data-driven solutions. Real Time Talent collaborates with various stakeholders to address these issues, focusing on aligning educational programs with labor market demands and promoting equity. Olson underscores the importance of employer involvement in creating effective workforce solutions and the role of Real Time Talent in facilitating these efforts.

Congratulations to the Work Ready Community of St. James Parrish in Louisiana for topping Site Selection Magazine's recent rankings of America's Best Counties for capital investments and jobs created. Other WRCs that made the list include Ouachita in Arkansas, St. Louis in Missouri, Saluda in South Carolina, and Haywood in Tennessee.

According to Site Selection Magazine, St. James Parish topped the list with projects such as FG LA LLC, a member of Taiwan-based Formosa Plastics Group, investing $9.4 billion in The Sunshine Project, an industrial complex for making chemicals and plastics. About 1,200 people will work at the facility when it’s operational.

Guam Community College will celebrate the 19 completers of its most recent Ship Repair Bootcamp. Sector components included Auto Body Paint (Paint Preservation) and Intro to Diesel Technology & Preventative Maintenance I. Additional training and certification in Heartsaver First Aid, CPR & AED, ACT WorkKeys NCRC, Work Ethics, and OSHA 10 were also successfully completed.

Governor Kathy Hochul and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer today announced significant progress towards the construction of the first phase of the $319 million Edwards Vacuum dry pump manufacturing facility, located at the Western New York Science & Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP Mega-Site). Edwards Vacuum is a supporting NCRC employer.

The Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce is leading an initiative to make Baxter County a Work Ready Community, with support from Arkansas State University-Mountain Home and the Mountain Home Public School District. Businesses interested in implementing the WorkKeys system can register through the ACT WorkKeys Employer Registration Form. They can also contact Dani Pugsley at the Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce or Becca Camp at Mountain Home Public Schools for more information.

The relationship between local industry and students in high school is reaping rewards to manufacturers who recognize the value of staying proactive, according to Brian Heffron, administrator of workforce development and community relations at the Center for Instruction, Technology & Innovation (CiTi) and a champion of New York's first certified WRC.

The elite WRC certification indicates a county’s workforce quality and skills, said Lynette Livingston, CVTC provost and vice president of Academic and Student Affairs. Although Eau Claire is the first county in Wisconsin to earn the designation, 559 communities throughout the United States currently are certified. 

In Episode 49 of Ready for Work, we continue our series of FRED Talks from the ACT Workforce Summit. Tracy Robinson from the University of Memphis shares her experience working with adult learners and the challenges they face in balancing education with other life responsibilities. The University of Memphis has made significant changes to accommodate adult learners, just in time for employer giant FedEx to seek the university’s help. It’s a successful model that the University replicated with the City of Memphis, a regional hospital chain, and Nike, among others.

Work for Warriors, a program from the Mississippi National Guard, celebrated the success of a recent pilot with the WorkKeys NCRC.  All 154 soldiers statewide earned the National Career Readiness Certificate from ACT. More than half of those newly certified guard members are eager to connect with local employers. 

The Mississippi National Guard’s Battle Hand Off Ceremony is July 19th through 21st at the Camp Shelby Joint Force Training Center in Hattiesburg. Employers slated to attend include AWS, Milwaukee Tool, NUCOR Steel, and Continental Tire. Work for Warriors encourages all local employers with current openings to attend.

Will Coppage is a creative community developer. From the main stage of the ACT Workforce Summit, Will helped us explore the concept of wonder in art and its power to draw us in repeatedly. Will shows us how this principle applies to community development, emphasizing the importance of fostering creativity, maintaining a positive community appearance, and promoting workforce skills. The episode concludes with exciting news of a storytelling event at the 2024 Workforce Summit in Atlanta.