News

More than 80% of Work Ready Communities report success in the expansions of existing employers and recruitment of new firms. Sometimes that success happens before certification, as is the case with Marshall County, MS.

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.

USD 234 Board of Education learns about participation in WRC efforts.

With PCEDC as hosts, the first WRC Bootcamp was held by ACT, last week at the KSU Foundation.

The latest episode of the Ready for Work podcast features Dr. Jeff McCord, Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce and Workforce Development. McCord has unique insight following a decades-long career of straddling the worlds of business and education. After 20 years in the private sector working for Fortune 300 companies and then as Vice President at Northeast State Community College in Tennessee, he has seen a pressing need for educators and business leaders to communicate in order to improve workforce development at the regional and national levels.  

Craven Community College (Craven CC) received a mock assembly line from Moen with the purpose of training students attending workforce development classes at the Volt Center. This donation coincided with the recent launch of several Craven CC workforce development (WFD) programs at the Volt Center. Upon successful completion of the program, participants will have earned certificates for OSHA 10-hour Industry Safety, Lean Six Sigma White Belt, Forklift Operator and ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness.

A federal grant that will help counties adversely affected by the closing of the Mississippi Power Co. coal plant retrain workers is showing dividends. The ARC EMPower Initiative will not only help to begin to train high school students but will also be used on the community college level, and for community members who might be out of work or are seeking to advance their careers with additional training. In addition, the grant funds will be used in the ACT Workkeys testing program to help determine the level of skills that high school students currently have, and areas in which they might be deficient. Workkeys testing has already begun in the different counties.