Workforce quality and availability routinely rank in the top five factors when surveying decision-makers and investors on which communities will provide the strongest return on investment. Often, workforce tops the list. The elusive search for skills within the ideal locations to invest can be made easier by starting with Certified Work Ready Communities (CWRC) and the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC).
Why CWRC
NCRC is the preferred skills-based resource for businesses to hire only the best while saving money and boosting productivity. Cognitive skills of the NCRC prove both workplace literacy and abilities to learn while growing on the job.
CWRC provides an independent endorsement of the quality of the workforce through the NCRC. CWRC also demonstrates the community’s capacity to meet business growth demands with integrated education and workforce assets. When workforce matters most, Certified Work Ready Communities can make all the difference in smarter investments.
Who makes it happen
The official Certified Work Ready Communities framework, nationwide through ACT, is active in 17 states and counting. Other states have independent initiatives promoting concentrations of the NCRC. Leaders across the Joplin Region of Southwest Missouri, Southeast Kansas, and Northeast Oklahoma team up to enhance the workforce and prove competitive value with CWRC. Companies in the Joplin Region benefit from synergy in demand-driven training and skills-based hiring resources.
How to use CWRC to sharpen targets
- DATA-DRIVEN AND EASY TO USE: Through web tools like workreadycommunities.org and locationone.com, powerful data resources are a click away to examine which communities have the best workforce. LocationOne integrates participating CWRC localities within site and building searches. Refreshed monthly, workreadycommunities.org allows users to drill down to the county level on specific NCRC targets and employers.
- QUANTITATIVE AND EASY TO COMPARE: Site Selection magazine often showcases CWRC and NCRC. Their annual State of the States ranking included total NCRC volume in each state as part of its tabulations. The Top Ten Competitive States report introduced a metric of NCRCs per thousand in its index. These metrics empower decision-makers to generate real-world comparisons of cognitive skills in the local workforce.
- QUALITATIVE AND EASY TO SEE THE INNOVATORS: CWRC areas meet high standards in workforce quality along with capacity of local leaders to meet future skill demands. CWRCs pass strict reviews showing integration across business, education, workforce, and economic development.
More resources
- Certified Work Ready Communities in the Joplin/Four States Region
- ACT Certified Work Ready Communities national gateway
- Site Selection: Asking the What If Questions of Workforce
- Site Selection: State of the States Rankings (starting on page 74)
- Site Selection: Certifiably Ready (starting on page 139)
- Missouri NCRC and CWRC
- Oklahoma NCRC and Work Ready Communities
- Kansas WorkReady
- Arkansas Career Readiness
