Certified Work Ready Community | St. Francois County
If we told you that by completing a simple form, you could gain a tool to make your own hiring process a little easier, and at the same time help our county become more competitive when it looks to recruit new business and industry, would you consider?
St. Francois County is a Certified Work Ready Community, having participated in a national pilot program to measure and certify the community’s work-readiness.
Goals of the Program Include:
- Increase the number of employees and future employees who obtain the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), and
- Increase the number of businesses who list the NCRC as a preferred criterion in job announcements.
View Our Workforce Stats
What is the NCRC?
The NCRC is a national standardized test created by ACT, a company known for its college placement testing, which allows certificate holders to show their competencies in the areas of reading, math and ability to obtain information.
Job candidates can use their certification to show prospective employers that they have the skills to succeed in a job, and at the same time help employers have an additional screening method to make the hiring process easier and more effective. Specifically, NCRC holders show competency in:
- Reading
- Math
- Ability to locate information
Partners from the Missouri Career Center and Mineral Area College are currently providing prospective employees this testing.
What does it mean if I sign up?
- By completing an online sign-up form acknowledging that you will give consideration to employee candidates who hold the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), you not only make your hiring process easier and more effective, you also will help us achieve our goal of earning the “Work Ready Community” designation for St. Francois County.
- Specifically, employers are asked to list possession of a National Career Readiness Certificate as a preferred qualification* on hiring announcements and descriptions. When an employee applies for the position, they can indicate they hold the NCRC and at what level.
Doing so, employers who do their own hiring may find value in being able to compare candidates on a nationally standardized scale in areas that are important to success in the position.
That’s it. There is no additional long-term commitment.
*Employers should list “NCRC Certification” in the preferred criteria for a position. It may only be listed as a required criteria in a position announcement if additional steps have been taken.
Signing up is easy.
1) Assemble the Support team
The first criteria for getting approved as a Missouri Work Ready Community is by building a coalition. The Farmington Regional Chamber partnered with the following groups to make this happen:
- St. Francois County Commission
- St. Francois County Industrial Development Authority
- Missouri Workforce Investment Board
- Mineral Area College
- City of Park Hills
- Park Hills-Leadington Chamber of Commerce
- Desloge Chamber of Commerce
- Mineral Area Training Consortium
- Representatives from Business and Industry
2) Secure Employer Support
More than 80 employers have become CWRC partners to date. If you do your own hiring, asking applicants to show evidence of NCRC certification (available to them for FREE at Missouri Career Center) will help you evaluate their skills in the following areas:
- Reading
- Math
- Ability to locate information
3) Certify Our Workforce
St. Francois Co. surpassed its initial goal of 417 certified workers in three areas:
- Current Workforce
- Emerging Workforce
- Transitioning Workforce
Mineral Area College and Missouri Career Center/Park Hills were significant partners in providing testing for the workforce. As more employers list completion of the NCRC as a preferred criteria on job postings, more employees will feel compelled to take the free testing and add value to their job seeking resume.
4) Get
Certified!
The planning team submitted its initial application in November 2012, and completed its goals in spring 2014. Final certification was received in July 2014.