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Central Arkansas high school students have the chance to earn a work readiness certificate before they graduate, and the unique test can not only get graduates hired but also paid a higher wage.

Recently, 101 Melbourne High School students received the ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certification with 14 of them receiving the top level Platinum Certification setting an 86 percent pass rate for students taking the assessment. At any level of education, these “real world” job skills are valuable for various career paths for employers, creating an advantage for applicants which include showing prospective employers concrete proof of your skills.

MRED President Mike Kelley said organization's goal is to guide new business owners as they work to establish themselves in the community. Kelley said he has been working with the state of Missouri to re-establish Moniteau County's Work Ready Community program. He said the county is still 14 workers short of receiving their National Career Readiness certificate. However, MRED will be working with local schools over the next several months in order to get students their certification and prepared for the program.

In addition to publishing the annual State of the States rankings, Site Selection Magazine's January edition provided workforce development rankings for each state, categorized by multi-state U.S. regions. Like the State of the States, Site Selection utilizes ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificates in building the index.

During its annual investor celebration last month, the Preble County Development Partnership welcomed back a key person in the creation of the public-private economic development entity to share some history of the PCDP, which recently celebrated its first decade in existence.

Where people are located and how the infrastructure serves them depend in large part on where opportunity and growth are occurring. That’s where Site Selection’s annual State of the States report comes into play. ACT's WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate drives the workforce quality portion of the index.

A steel facility engineered to bring together the most advanced technology is coming soon to the Work Ready Community of Mississippi County, AR and Osceloa.  This first use of endless casting and rolling technology in the United States brings significant energy, efficiency, and capability enhancements to the company’s operations.

The economic development office for Preble County — the Preble County Development Partnership — celebrated 10 years of collaboration during a special investor event. some of the things that make Preble County attractive to developers is that it is a Certified ACT Work Ready Community, provides quick access to Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis, is located near the crossroads of America and is a single day’s drive to 60 percent of the USA and Canadian populations.

The Work Ready Community of Butler County landed 175 new jobs for True Manufacturing with a new $21 facility in Poplar Bluff, MO. With more than 3.7 million square feet across its Missouri manufacturing facilities, True Manufacturing is committed to products that are designed, engineered, and manufactured in the United States. The company’s new facility will enable expanded production of its current line of products and occupy all 54 acres of Poplar Bluff’s newest industrial park.