The Monett Area Chamber of Commerce celebrated National Manufacturers Day with a special ceremony October 2nd at Playpower. As noted in this article from the Monett Times Newspaper, the event included special proclamations from the Missouri House of Representatives, the Monett City Council, Barry County Commission, and Missouri Enterprise. The Workforce Investment Board also joined the celebration and presented an award from ACT recognizing Barry County as a Certified Work Ready Community. Pictured right: Jeff Meredith accepts the ACT CWRC trophy with Jasen Jones of the WIB and Tracey Kelly with Missouri Enterprise.
The success of the National Career Readiness Certificate® (NCRC) and Certified Work Ready Communities (CWRC) for the WIB and JRP counties helped build a solid foundation for the SectorReady™ initiative. The NCRC is the most preferred measure by local employers for the cognitive skills needed to be successful on the job. The CWRC designation shows potential investors and decision-makers that the JRP and WIB counties rank among the highest in the nation for work readiness and a collaborative culture for education, employment, and economic development. Pictured left: four of the eleven counties have full certification, including Jasper County as the first in the nation to achieve both the initial certification in 2013 and the renewal of the certification in 2015. Four more counties are nearing certification at 87% or higher completion of CWRC goals.