Page 26 - South Mississippi Living - February, 2018

PEOPLE build a strong, highly skilled job force
HANCOCK COUNTY
Becoming a Work Ready Community
story courtesy of Hancock Chamber of Commerce
“When the workforce improves, everything improves,” said Tish Williams, executive director of the Hancock Chamber. To accomplish this goal, Hancock County leaders have formed a committee to focus specifically on launching workforce development initiatives.
Led by Scott Alsobrooks of Pearl River Community College, a key focus of the committee is to work toward becoming an ACT Certified Work Ready Community. Hancock County is expected to be the first on the Coast to be certified. Other counties on the Coast are also now working toward this goal.
The goal of the program is to build
a strong and highly skilled job force to attract new business and industry and help existing ones build their bottom line while expanding the regional economy. Becoming an ACT Certified Work Ready Community will give Hancock County a competitive edge in economic development.
ACT is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping people achieve education and workplace success through research and programs focusing on education and workforce development. The county will have two years to complete certification training.
By participating in ACT’s Work Ready Communities initiative, the county will help businesses and industries identify
what skills they need for a productive workforce and give individuals an understanding of those skills and how to gain them. The emphasis is on technical careers. The program will also help educators develop training programs and give economic developers a new tool to market the county’s workforce.
For this to work, it must be a partnership between the community’s educational resources and the private sector. Some employers in Hancock County are already using the ACT Work Keys program as a hiring tool to screen and place applicants such as DAK Americas — now Alpek Polyester Business and SABIC.
National surveys show that the benefits to business and industry justify the costs and that business and industry who use this as a hiring tool report a reduction in turnover, improved employee on-the-job productivity, and help for meeting their organizational goals.
“For Hancock County to become an ACT Certified program, a minimum of 43 companies need to sign up to pledge support; we are already at 50 percent of our goal,” said Williams.
Hancock County employers can
sign up by going online to www. workreadycommunities.org/business/ form. It only takes a few minutes to complete the form.
26 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • February 2018
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UPCOMING EVENTS FEBRUARY 3
Krewe of Kids Parade, 11a.m., Bay St. Louis
FEBRUARY 4
Krewe of Nereids Parade, noon, Waveland and Bay St. Louis
FEBRUARY 10
Krewe of Diamondhead, noon
FEBRUARY 12
Krewe of the Mystic Seahorse, 5 p.m., Old Town Bay St. Louis
FEBRUARY 13
Krewe of Real People, 1 p.m., Old Town Bay St. Louis
FEBRUARY 15
Hancock Chamber Business After Hours, www.hancockchamber.org for information