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Several area agencies, including the Chamber of Greater Springfield, Clark State Community College and Ohio Means Jobs of Clark County, have been working for about a year to certify Clark County in an ACT Work Ready program, said Amy Donahoe, director of hiring and employer services for the Chamber of Greater Springfield.
Since 2007, more than 1,000 Omaha residents, mostly African American and mostly low-income, have landed jobs in the growing manufacturing and tech sectors through targeted employment training in the city’s worst neighborhoods. The training began popping up after a local newspaper series noted that the booming Midwestern city had some of the most alarming racial disparities in the country, embarrassing civic leaders and politicians into action
City and county officials gathered Thursday at the Lowery A. Woodall Advanced Technology Center in Hattiesburg to celebrate the planned inclusion of Greater Hattiesburg – including all of Forrest and Lamar Counties – as an ACT Work Ready Community.
mployers in Craighead County now have one more tool to identify highly skilled workers for their companies. Craighead County is now an ACT Work Community, according to Jonesboro Unlimited.The purpose of establishing an ACT Work Ready Community is to close the skills gaps between potential employees and the needs of employers. Nationwide, more than 400 counties and 21,000 employers participate in the ACT Work Ready Program. Currently, 4.4 million people have attained their ACT Workkeys National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC). An NCRC certificate has four levels – platinum, gold, silver, and bronze.
The Greater Beauregard Chamber of Commerce has been awarded a grant to fund the WorkKeys program within the parish. The grant was a Delta Regional Authority State’s Economic Development Assistance Program (SEDAP) grant for workforce training and development.
Video describes steps to sign up to take ACT WorkKeys/NCRC in Washington County, MS. Part of Work Ready Communities.
The St. James Works Leadership Team is excited to share the progress of this endeavor and declare our appreciation to all who have partnered with us to: LINK workforce development to education; ALIGN with the economic development needs of St. James Parish; MATCH individuals to jobs based on skill levels; and DEVELOP St. James Parish into a Work Ready Community. Attached is a copy of the Summer 2018 St. James Works Newsletter. This provides an update on the St. James Parish initiative to become a certified ACT Work Ready Community. The Fall 2017 Newsletter is also attached for those not on the original distribution list.
Washington County community organizations are helping expand the ACT Work Ready Communities program to help more residents and businesses benefit.
The Work Ready program, which was launched by Washington County Economic Alliance in January 2016, is designed to increase the county’s attractiveness to industries, increase the number of local jobs and streamline hiring processes by testing and certifying residents’ job skills.
Up until now, WCEA was the only community organization in Washington County working to test residents and create job profiles. However, that changed Monday with the start of the school year.
Tarrinasha Jones, director of Greenville Technology Center, a part of the Greenville Public School District, said high school students from area schools will have the opportunity to participate in a two-year Manufacturing Basic Skills course that ties into the Work Ready program.
In January 2016, the Washington County Economic Alliance embarked on a mission to implement the ACT Work Ready program and get the county certified as a Work Ready Community.
After a year of hard work, the WCEA achieved that goal, and in January 2017, Washington County became one of five certified counties in Mississippi by testing 571 residents with the ACT Work Keys exam.
Recently, Cary Karlson, executive director of the county’s economic alliance, was honored for the hard work he and his team have put in to the Work Ready program by being named an ACT Workforce Champion.
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