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The Rowan Economic Development Council (EDC) spearheaded this initiative, which has positioned Rowan County as a leading community in workforce development. The achievement will be officially recognized and celebrated at the upcoming ACT Workforce Summit, scheduled to be held in Nashville, TN from October 4 to 6, 2023.

Listen to Ready for Work, Episode 38, in your favorite podcast app. 

Josh Christianson, project director at the Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship, was at the ACT Workforce Summit last year where he discussed the importance of accessibility in today’s workplace. Employers who moved to remote work opportunities, or teleworking, during the pandemic demonstrated the capabilities and flexibility technology offers people with disabilities to work remotely on a regular basis. Christianson touches on this and on digital accessibility and why it’s important for employers to provide accessible platforms for employees, especially as our economy faces worker shortages.

He also addresses the importance of apprenticeships and how they can help more people, including people with disabilities, join the workforce.

Watch the video to hear more from him about:

• The challenges employers face today in filling their skilled labor needs.
• The equity, access, and opportunity challenges people in the disability community face and why employers should address accessibility in their workplaces.
• Registered apprenticeships and how they help people learn the skills employers need today.
• Accessibility and how important it is for companies to build accessibility into their cultures.

The Work Ready Communities throughout the First Tenneessee Development District have a solid leadership group that also joined forces to reduce opioid addiction in their region. Now the U.S. Department of Labor's WorkforceGPS plans to showcase this work in an upcoming online event planned for May 31st.  

Join us in Nashville this fall to connect with your peers across the workforce ecosystem—economic and workforce developers; educators; business and government leaders; and ACT® Work Ready Community members nationwide. The Workforce Summit is one of the largest annual gatherings of leaders in education, business, workforce and economic development, and government—all with the shared goal of building a better workforce—focusing on credentialed career pathways, hiring skills-based talent, and connecting communities to help them grow and thrive.

“Missouri's pioneering spirit is evident in Jasper County, which became the first-ever ACT Work Ready Community more than a decade ago. Since then, the program has been a transformative force, helping countless individuals gain the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in today's workforce. Through the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate and the ACT Work Ready Communities program, employers can easily match the skills and aptitudes they need with a ready and capable workforce. The program is one of the most innovative and effective ways to support our workforce and strengthen our economy.”

Subash Alias, CEO Missouri Partnership

Britney Mitchell, an ACT-authorized profiler at Madisonville Community College (MCC) in Kentucky is assisting the Ahlstrom-Munksjö Group, a Finland-based company, to staff and train employees for high-paying positions at a new $70 million site in the United States. “MCC’s Workforce Solutions team has been a game-changer for Ahlstrom’s recruiting and training efforts,” said Ahlstrom in a statement. “MCC’s staff provided ACT WorkKeys Job Profiling [and] facilitated more than 500 testing encounters, which resulted in 89 viable candidates to fill the production positions at the new plant.”

Become an ACT-authorized profiler and help employers identify criteria to use in hiring, job training, or even site planning. 

Registration deadline:  Friday, July 14, 2023
Online Learning begins: Monday, August 7, 2023

North Carolina has won its third consecutive Prosperity Cup, which recognizes the competitiveness of state-level economic development agencies and their success in landing capital investment projects according to a 10-point index, including growth in the ACT Workkeys National Career Readiness Certificate.

Charles Brogdon, Human Resource Director at Franklin Baking Company shares the benefits of the WorkKeys work readiness system and Wayne Community College at Goldsboro, NC.

In part two of her interview, Heather talks about the top workforce challenges today, including how employers are modifying job descriptions to better fit the skills needed to fill open positions, rather than focusing on a bachelor’s degree requirement. Employers in the Longview region are also evaluating reentry programs to fit their labor needs as well as getting creative with employee supports, like childcare to fill jobs and support employees.

Watch the video to hear more from Heather about:

• The top workforce challenges in the Longview region and what the Longview Economic Development Corporation and local employers are doing to overcome those challenges.
• The workforce innovations that need to take place in the next five years for companies and employees to be successful.
• Opportunities for educators and employers to work together in the community to up-skill students for future jobs.