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Bourbon County Achieves Certification as ACT® Work Ready Community
Fort Scott, Kansas – The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce announces that as of February 2023 Bourbon County has met all criteria to become a certified ACT Work Ready Community, demonstrating its commitment to developing a strong workforce pipeline, desirable to employers, economic developers and current and future citizens of the county.
The ACT® Work Ready Communities (ACT® WRC) initiative empowers states, regions and counties with data, processes and tools that drive economic growth by identifying skills gaps and quantifying the skill level of their workforce. Participants leverage the ACT® WorkKeys® National Career Readiness Certificate® (ACT® WorkKeys® NCRC®) to measure and close skills gaps and build common frameworks that link, align, and match their workforce development efforts.
To begin the certification process in 2019, the Chamber recruited leaders in Bourbon County to attend the ACT Work Ready Communities Boot Camp, an executive leadership and training program designed and led by ACT to initiate, deploy, and drive carefully tailored efforts to improve the county’s work readiness. Leaders met with local employers, policymakers, educators, and economic developers to establish goals and build a sustainable WRC model to fit community needs.
After attending Boot Camp, communities are allotted two years to meet the established goals. Because of the pandemic, ACT extended the qualification period by one year and the Chamber is ecstatic for Bourbon County to cross the finish line and be named a gold badge certified Work Ready Community, currently one of five in the state of Kansas The Chamber strongly encourages local employers to utilize the WorkKeys recognition in hiring practices to match job seekers to positions aligned to their skillsets and aid in reducing turnover.
“Congratulations to Bourbon County for becoming an ACT Work Ready Community and joining a growing list of counties dedicated to building a robust workforce,” said ACT Regional Manager of Workforce Initiatives, Cheri Hughes. “The efforts of the county leadership to achieve WRC certification will provide the community with a tremendous economic development advantage and help it stand out for its workforce development efforts.”
For more information on this initiative, go to www.workreadycommunities.org and view all of ACT’s workforce solutions at www.act.org/workforce.
About ACT
ACT is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people achieve education and workplace success. Headquartered in Iowa City, Iowa, ACT is trusted as a leader in college and career readiness, providing high-quality assessments grounded in nearly 60 years of research. ACT offers a uniquely integrated set of solutions designed to provide personalized insights that help individuals succeed from elementary school through career. Visit act.org to learn more.
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