Wednesday’s PBS NewHour aired an extended featured on the National Career Readiness and the NCRC’s role in preparing students for the workforce. For American industry, finding employees who have all the requisite skills is a big challenge, and hiring people who don’t stack up can cost businesses a great deal of money. Special correspondent John Tulenko…
Employers in the Southwest Missouri/Joplin region often site soft skills as the largest gap that prevents applicants from landing and staying on the job. A new online video learning series from the U.S. Department of Labor is helpful for both youth and adult job seekers alike. Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace…
The shift in seasons with back to school mode provides a timely backdrop for this helpful article from LifeHacker on the science behind how we learn new skills. Skill improvement is essential for getting ahead in the job market. This feature explores what actually happens to our brains and we can use this approach to pick…
The Certified Work Ready Communities movement is making its way westward into Southwest Kansas. Volunteers with the Joplin Regional Prosperity Initiative (JRPI) met with economic developers, employers, and educators Tuesday afternoon in Pittsburg to strategize with community leaders on the next steps.
The Workforce Investment Board (WIB) of Central Oklahoma recently issued a formal proclamation recognizing the assistance from Southwest Missouri as part of the workforce disaster recovery efforts. Violent tornados struck the Oklahoma City metro and surrounding areas in May. A team from Joplin recently visited workforce system colleagues in Oklahoma to offer suggestions on launching…
Joplin got a boost in an international real estate magazine known as Site Selection for its success with the Certified Work Ready Communities program. Site Selection is read by 43 thousand corporate decision-makers that typically decided where investments are made for new businesses and new jobs. The article profiled Joplin’s recovery effort and Missouri’s participation…
Many advocates of credential based hiring have long held that job seekers will earn higher wages or salaries commensurate to higher scores on credentials such as the National Career Readiness Certificate. Frank Neely from the WIB of Southwest Missouri led joint efforts with Mayo Enterprises and the Missouri Division of Workforce Development to put this…
Gov. Nixon headlined a press conference in Joplin Friday announcing that Jasper County earned the Certified Work Ready Community designation through ACT and the Missouri Department of Economic Development. Thousands of individuals that earned the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) helped Jasper County reach this prestigious goal. Held at Franklin Technology Center, the press conference showcased the…
ACT released a nationwide case study showcasing the success of Able Manufacturing and the local workforce system to transform local hiring processes and improve the region’s workforce. The six-page study profiles the solutions of the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) and WorkKeys job analysis packaged effectively with other value-added services from the partnerships within Workforce…
A new pilot program helps youth earn a paycheck while pursuing their High School Equivalency (HSE, formally known as GED). Scholars at Work overcomes one of the greatest challenges youth face in meeting a career goal – how to pay the bills while taking time off for school. Through stipends to take care of financial…