The Kosciusko Attala Partnership and Holmes Community College are collaborating to help put people back to work and help local business identify qualified applicants.
The KAP, the area authority on economic and community development, kicked off its Attala Works program with the support of nearly a hundred local business and community leaders last week.
“Workforce is the foremost determinant for businesses deciding where to put operations or those already conducting operations in our community and is the ultimate underlying factor in today’s economic climate,” KAP CEO Kel McDowell said. “Working through ACT’s work ready prism gives us a system to evaluate, assess and bridge the gap when it comes to workforce in our community.”
Working through the framework of ACT’s Work Ready Community (WRC) certification program, Attala Works will connect businesses, job-seekers and key stakeholders in the community to ensure maximum participation. The focal point of the program is the National Career Readiness Certification System, which utilizes ACT’s WorkKeys exams.
“The system is used for job profile, skills assessment and instructional support,” said Slade Redwine, the CRC manager with Holmes Community College. “The assessment is made up of three areas – reading comprehension applied math and problem solving that together best highlights a potential employee’s aptitude.”
Hunter Engineering’s Ken Lowery, who manages human resources, was on hand to tell Attala County business owners about the success his company has had after requiring its employees to take the CRC before being hired.
“When I came to Hunter, we had problems hiring people,” Lowery said. “I decided to make it difficult to get a job at Hunter, requiring people to take the CRC and score a silver to be eligible for a job at Hunter Engineering. We are now getting a lot better candidates than we used to and because of the people we have been getting training is not a problem with our complex equipment.”
“Ultimately the success of Attala Works will be decided by the participation in our community,” McDowell added. “But the hope is that this program will lead to better candidates for our employers and more jobs in Attala County.”
