Steps are being taken to make Marion County an ACT Work Ready Community.
Marion County Development Partnership President Lori Watts is heading up the initiative and hoping to officially launch it at the end of July.
Most people when thinking ACT think of the college assessment exam students take while in high school, but the ACT program is expanding to recognize a shortage in jobs that do not require a four-year degree.
“They (ACT) wanted to give students and communities an accurate measurement to show employers that applicants have skills necessary to carry out certain jobs. Also for students and for those who are unemployed and looking for jobs, the ability to tell if they are qualified to fill the position,” said Watts.
This resource is not only for students coming out of high school but also for the workforce and those seeking jobs. The Columbia School District has already committed to assessing their students and the Marion County School District is still considering it. Watts said she has not had a chance to speak with Columbia Academy. In addition the WIN Job Center, the South Mississippi Planning and Development District will also be offering the assessment.
The assessment measures three areas: workplace reading, graphic literacy and applied math.
l Workplace reading is anything job related such as human resource policies and procedures to written instructions;
l Graphic literacy is the ability read graphs, maps and similar items;
l Applied math is the knowledge of math.
From the exams there are four levels of certifications based upon scores: bronze, silver, gold and platinum.
Prospective employers and businesses create job profiles for the position needing filled. In the profiles the skill level needed is listed, which allows the correct skill level employee to be matched to the position. Job profiles with employers will tell you whether a bronze, silver, gold or platinum level is required for the job.
“That kind of matching really benefits the employers because they are able to cut down on costs of hiring and are able to identify the skill level of the people who are applying for the job,” Watts said. “If the employer assesses their employees, they might find an employee who would be better off in another position of the company, making the company run more efficiently,” continued Watts.
The Work Ready Community Program is a corroboration with the WIN Job Center, the community colleges and employers who are using the job profiles and assessment.
The Marion County team working on this project include representatives from Pearl River Community College, the local school districts, South Mississippi Planning and Development District, Economic Development Office and county officials.
“This is something Marion County needs to do in order to be competitive and be able to attract new industries. When reports show our population has fallen, prospective industries can see those reports, too. By being Work Ready certified that gives us another tool to say look we have this many people who are certified at this level to show our community is ready.” Watts concluded.
