WashCoMS 1st County in the US to the Reach 3rd Maintenance Tier of ACT WRC Cert.
May 1, 2019
The Washington County Economic Alliance (WCEA) is pleased to announce that Washington County has met all the criteria to reach the third maintenance tier to retain their ACT Work Ready Community certification. Washington County is the first participating county in the United States to achieve third tier certification.
“ACT congratulates Washington County, Mississippi, first in the nation to achieve the third tier Work Ready Communities certification,” Fred McConnel, Director of Work Ready Communities at ACT. “The leadership team in Washington County is a model for the nation to leverage the Work Ready Communities framework in the alignment of training and capture of growth opportunities for new and existing employers.”
In early 2019, Washington County was one of 39 participating counties to reach the second tier certification. In 2017, the WCEA became the second certified ACT Work Ready Community in Mississippi. The certification along with regional recruiting initiative of Delta Strong place Washington County at a significant advantage when recruiting new industry. Existing industry can take advantage of the program by utilizing the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) in combination with ACT Job Profiling. Presently, there are a total of 2,549 ACT NCRC holders in Washington County, and of that, 1,307 hold a Silver-level NCRC. Furthermore, Washington County has tested 628 high school students, more than any other county in Mississippi.
“We are very proud of our community and our achievement,” said Cary Karlson, Executive Directive of the WCEA. “This certification has created a formula for success here in Washington County. From existing industry such as USG to newly recruited industry such as Nufarm, the ACT Work Ready Communities framework allows our businesses to see not only a pool of skilled workers, but a pipeline for future workers. There is a reason these companies find success in Washington County.”
The ACT Work Ready Communities initiative is designed to assist a particular area, region or state in developing its workforce pipeline to provide skilled workers for employers. The framework allows each participating community to quantify and improve the skill levels of its workforce through a standardized workforce skill credential—the ACT WorkKeys® National Career Readiness Certificate™—supported by data updated online by Iowa-based ACT on a monthly basis.
To learn more about how an employer can use the ACT Work Ready Communities initiative, please contact Executive Director Cary Karlson or Deputy Director Will Coppage at 662-378-3141.