Four Purchase Area counties recently were officially accepted into the group of designated Kentucky Work Ready Communities. The Kentucky Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Board voted to approve their Review Panel recommendations during their quarterly meeting in Lexington. Teams from Carlisle, Fulton, Marshall, and McCracken Counties were on hand to accept their certificates and new road signs declaring their Work Ready status.
A Kentucky Work Ready Community certification is a measure of a county’s workforce quality based on the following criteria: high school graduation rate, educational attainment rate, and the amount of broadband available to demonstrate digital literacy. Each county must also submit a plan that will reduce the number of adults without a GED or high school diploma, increase the number of adults who have earned a National Career Readiness Certificate, and implement a soft-skills credentialing program addressing needs of local employers.
Carlisle, Marshall and McCracken were designated as fully-certified Work Ready Communities. In total, there are only 25 Kentucky counties who have earned this designation, which is valid for two years. Fulton County joins 39 other Kentucky counties as Work Ready Communities In-Progress.
Marshall County first earned a Work Ready Communities In-Progress designation in February. At the time, they met all the data requirements for full designation, but had not yet implemented their soft-skills credentialing programs. Since February, the team has worked diligently to implement soft skills curriculum across all levels of their school district and adult education program.
Judge/Executive Kevin Neal joined the team members at the KWIB ceremony to celebrate the designation. “Marshall County has achieved Work Ready certification,” he said. “We are ready to lead the way in western Kentucky by providing a highly skilled workforce ready to meet the demands of today’s competitive economy.”
Wendy Baxter, Deputy Alcohol Beverage Control Administrator, led the county’s effort and worked with Josh Tubbs, Commissioner Bob Gold, Stacey Bradley, Brian Harper, Jennifer Brown, Marcia Bryant, Mary Beth Hudson, Debbie Buchanan, Gene Gilliland, Jillian Henson, Lacey Maziarka, and Lois Cunningham. Regional partners included Murray State University, Purchase Area Development District, and West Kentucky Community and Technical College.
Ballard and Hickman Counties were designated as Work Ready Community In-Progress earlier in 2015. Volunteers in Graves County are currently preparing their applications in hopes of achieving Work Ready designation in the spring of 2016.