News

The Council for State Governments published a webinar with thought leaders that have been at the forefront of providing resources for and otherwise helping to shape a new era of remote learning. Along with insights from Western Governors University and AT&T, ACT provided trends and best practices in K-12 pandemic learning along with recovery strategies through the workforce ecosystem. The Work Ready Communities portion runs in the 31-41 minute marks of the video.

FDI Alliance Magazine published a guest article from WRC champion Rob O'Brian on post-pandemic strategies for economic development location competitiveness. The article opens with guidance on interpreting data, followed by skills-based strategies. In addition to effectiveness of the National Career Readiness Certificate and Work Ready Communities, O'Brian showcased successful demand-driven partnerships.

WorkforceGPS, a professional development and research resource from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, published a Quick Start Action Planner (QSAP) for their Pathway to Recovery initiative. WorkforceGPS organizes Pathway to Recovery resources into five categories - Service Delivery: Job Seeker and Business Customer, Labor Market Information, Partnerships & Planning, and System Infrastructure & Capacity. Published July 15 by DOL, the QSAP is now integrated into ACT's Resiliency Toolkit, available by request.

Enjoy this inspiring success story of Jacob Holtschulte and his journey from corrections to a career, thanks in part to Adult Education and the WorkKeys NCRC. The video features local leaders describing how this approach makes a difference.

Demand for e-learning delivery, evaluation, and competency development top the list of highest in-demand learning and development components in the next 12 to 18 months, according to research published by Chief Learning Officer magazine. The study illustrated a spectrum of optimism amidst the 1,500+ professionals participating in the research. These trends may be useful to local Work Ready Communities seeking to understand the demands for potential solutions like WorkKeys curriculum and assessments, along with profiling of job tasks and curriculum outcomes.

Now more than ever, public libraries are valuable extensions of local workforce development. In many Work Ready Communities, libraries are helpful testing partners as well. The Atlanta Federal Reserve showcased how libraries are mobilizing for the economic fallout associated with COVID-19 such as facilitating unemployment insurance enrollment, referrals to food banks, and other services for immediate needs. Library staff are also thinking longer term about how shelter-in-place orders could expand telework in the future, how libraries can continue to support small businesses and entrepreneurs, and how they will continue to assist job seekers to connect to training opportunities and prepare for job openings.

The ACT Work Ready Community (WRC) of Clark County, NV netted high honors today by the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB). The prestigious Laurie Moran Partnership Award from NAWB holds a special meaning to ACT's Work Ready Communities family as well. Laurie Moran was one of the first members of the advisory board that launched WRC. NAWB presented the award during their national Forum conference. Check out the video overview of Clark County's accomplishments.

Governor Ralph Northam today announced that Metalworx, Inc., a manufacturer of highly-engineered and precision-manufactured components, assemblies, and products for a variety of industries, will invest $7.6 million to relocate its headquarters and manufacturing functions from South Carolina to the former Core Fitness Complex in Grayson County. Virginia successfully competed with North Carolina for the project, which will create 59 new jobs.

While 2020 presents the most challenging year yet for local workforce ecosystems, ACT is pleased to announce two new toolkits to navigate recovery and resource development. The first is ACT's Grant Proposal Developer Toolkit. Using a logic model approach, the toolkit helps overcome common pitfalls in proposal development. The toolkit also helps strengthen proposals with relevant data, situational analysis, and ideal objectives. The toolkit can help you convert strategies into actions and ACT’s workforce solutions into winning outcomes.  

The second toolkit, Resilient Workforce Ecosystems Leading Skills-Based Disaster and Economic Recovery, guides local planners and leaders deploy the five-part ALEDA model to navigate new complexities.  The five components include adapt, lead, deploy, engage, and analyze.

For more information on the toolkits and to get connected with an ACT colleague, please send an email to wrc@act.org.  

The Work Ready Communities of Eastern Indiana Works Region 6 developed the Telecoach model enabling customers to connect remotely with a career coach.  "If customers are tech-saavy and enabled, they can work wiht one of our employees without having to meet face-to-face. We can help them with everything from the initial assessment, enrollment, interview preparation, re-employment plan creation, or resume building. Whehter you're unable to visit a center or simply don't want to, we can serve you," noted Project Director Wayne Williams.