Ready for Work

Career Pathways are a special blend of training and job progression. When the training includes post-secondary learning, the WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate from ACT can translate to college credit that jumpstarts the learning journey. Awarding credit through Prior Learning Assessment, or PLA, for short, boosts confidence and increases the pace to program completion. Colleges increa...

2022 marks the 8th annual National Apprenticeship Week and celebrations November 14th through the 20th to showcase the success and value of apprenticeship to rebuild the economy, advance equity, and support under-served communities. On Episode 36 of Ready for Work, we take you to the recent ACT Workforce Summit in New Orleans for a keynote presentation featuring the Woodworks program at Roy O’Mart...

As workforce development typically focuses on skill and availability, other economic and community development practices can make or break those workforce efforts. Examples include housing, broadband internet, childcare, and today’s focus in Episode 35, transportation. Abigail Seldin from the Seldon-Haring-Smith Foundation (SHSF) brings us insight on the importance of transit for community college...

The release of episode 34 of Ready for Work marks a milestone at ACT® in the launch of Digital Badges for the WorkKeys® National Career Readiness Certificate® (NCRC®). Guests include Pat Leonard, the VP for Business Development at Credly®, and Neil Reddy, CEO of the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC). Listen in for benefits to working learners, employers, and the full workforce ecosystem...

Personal journeys through education and career pathways are often filled with challenges and obstacles, making progress difficult and compromise frequent. Chelsea Williams of Reimagine Talent Co helps us discover the role of occupational identify for career pathway success with tips for job counselors, educators, and employers alike. Resources Chelsea Williams on LinkedIn Reimagine Talent Co. Empl...

Unprecedented skill shortages in labor markets across the U.S. often intersect with a desire for Justice System reform that provides pathways for Returning Citizens to thrive. When optimized in a regional workforce ecosystem, Returning Citizens are a high-performing group of working learners to boost a regional talent pipeline. Episode 32 is the second in our two part series on Preparing Workforce...

Episode 31 of Ready for Work is the first of a two-part episode on Preparing Workforce Ecosystems for Returning Citizen Success. Charles Elliot is the Presiding Circuit Judge in Morgan County, Alabama. Partnerships with the community college and economic development leaders across their Work Ready Community help with the pillars of education and career. The drug court’s alternative sentencing mode...

Federally funded Adult Basic Education (ABE) helps more than a million and half adults each year earn a high school equivalency, increase basic and employability skills, or improve their English language proficiency. The National Reporting Service governs the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRSAE) inside Adult Ed. Through an accountability and performance system of Educational Functioning...

With increased investment in apprenticeship comes increased expectations. ACT joined forces with local apprenticeships successful in skills-based hiring and national thought leaders on what’s needed to boost quality and completions in apprenticeship. Coming out of this collaboration is a new toolkit from ACT. We packed the toolkit with resources and scalable options of good, better, and best to pr...

One part humor, one part inspiration! Episode 28 kicks off our third season of Ready for Work with a fun perspective on the role of humor in workforce development. Our guest is comedian Roy Wood Junior, a correspondent on Comedy Central's hit, The Daily Show, and host of Roy's Job Fair, a podcast that explores the human condition through the prism of employment. Roy's famed humor is ma...

One of the nation's deadliest tornados struck Joplin, Missouri ten years ago this week. On episode 27 of Ready for Work, we take a closer look at Joplin's recovery through the lens of the workforce ecosystem and the nation's first ACT-certified Work Ready Community. A recurring theme is the priceless value of partnership connectivity and innovation. The workforce ecosystem was fortunat...

The region's workforce ecosystem is only as strong as its leadership. Joining us on episode 25 of Ready for Work, author and consultant Dr. Anthony Edwards helps guide us from new book, Building a Winning Workforce: A Playbook for Employers, Government Entities; Colleges & Schools; Workforce Development Agencies, Economic Development Organizations ... & Chambers of Commerce; & Nonp...

Keeping the future in mind is a necessary function for persisting through disaster recovery. As regions continue to overcome the pandemic, there is a balance in preparing for future opportunities and obstacles at the same time. Episode 25 features Chad Chancellor, Co-Founder and CEO of the Next Move Group. Listeners can gain insight on the ever-changing skills marketplace in economic development a...

In our third of three episodes dedicated to Skills-Based Recovery and Resiliency, episode 24 brings us to the Deploy and Analyze phases in the five-part ALEDA framework. Sean McCoy from Public Consulting Group shares some factors worth considering in the deployment of recovery services remotely.  We’ll check out some best practice examples in remote work-based learning with Kelly Dyer in Missouri,...

Workforce ecosystem leaders encounter plenty of challenging layers to disaster recovery and economic resiliency.  ACT curated a five-part toolkit with a framework we call ALEDA.  We covered the Adapt phase in Episode 22. In this installment, we explore the Lead and Engage phases.  We have an interview with Lisa Rice, a former Workforce Director turned leadership consultant. Lisa offers perspective...

Ready for Work episode 22 is the first of three on the ALEDA Framework using Skills-Based Hiring for Disaster Recovery and Economic Resiliency. The five-part framework is Adapt, Lead, Engage, Deploy, and Analyze. We focus this episode on the Adapt phase in Data, Skills, and Systems. The Adapt phase helps us re-position traditional disaster recovery models to meet the needs of your local economy. W...

As a pandemic impacts communities everywhere, regional workforce ecosystems must implement reemployment strategies to become more adaptable. Hear stories of resilience happening real-time. Join the Conversation Will Coppage:  Twitter Washington County Economic Alliance:  Twitter Mary LeFebvre Twitter:  Twitter    LinkedIn First Tennessee Development District:  LinkedIn   Facebook   Instagram Jasen...

Bronwyn Robertson shares how Mississippi Community College Board’s Smart Start adult education equips adult learners with workforce credentials (including the WorkKeys NCRC) and ultimately them for success. What more can adult education programs be doing to prepare participants for career success? As the job market continues to evolve, more and more learners rely on these programs to educate them...

The Missouri Department of Corrections’ reentry program is equipping returning citizens with career credentials, barrier removal supports, and the WorkKeys NCRC. Reentry Coordinator Shelly Jacobs joins us to share the impact on their workforce. As employers across the nation are expanding their outreach efforts in search of a dedicated workforce, the  Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC)...

Work Ready Communities (WRC) from ACT is a framework for community-based workforce development to drive economic growth. Regions improve their workforce and compete on quality for location consultants, investors, and other decision-makers using data powered by the WorkKeys® National Career Readiness Certificate. Episode 18 of the Ready for Work podcast showcased Site Selection Magazine’s annual St...

Career readiness is a hot topic these days. An updated report from ACT has a wealth of data on the subject that you won’t find anywhere else.   For career navigation, or for counselors, students, or folks looking for a job change,  The Condition of Career Pathway Readiness in the United States 2019  report—and this podcast—will provide some great insight.  You can tak...

Rural America is facing some incredible challenges. When rural students graduate high school many of them move away to urban areas. The up-and-coming generation tends to overlook their opportunities in rural areas. This hurts the economy of local communities, including those in Southwest Tennessee. The Southwest Tennessee Rural Workforce Readiness Collaborative is working to reverse this problem....

Josh Davies, CEO of the Center for Work Ethic Development is passionate about helping others make a difference in their lives, jobs, and community. We were fortunate to have Josh deliver one of the FRED Talks as well as a breakout session at the recent ACT Workforce Summit. By using employer-based research, defining the seven behaviors of work ethic, and innovative teaching, participants discover...

Why are so many well-educated and well-supported American youths struggling to make successful transitions to adult life? It’s an important question and the first that Hans Meeder asks on Episode 14 of our Ready for Work podcast, which was recorded at our recent ACT Workforce Summit. Hans works at the  National Center for College and Career Transitions (NC3T) , which he founded in 2012....

A high prevalence of prescription drug abuse has created an unhealthy workforce in northeast Tennessee. As a result, the region has high instances of addiction, neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), and overdose deaths. The region is learning how to contend with the impact that the opioid crisis has on its workforce. Rather than sweep the issues under the rug, the  First Tennessee Development Distri...