Site Selection Magazine recently published the 2022 Regional Workforce Development Rankings, and Virginia ranked No. 1 for the South Atlantic Region. Part of the criteria for the ranking included the number of ACT National Career Readiness Certificates (NCRC) earned in 2021. Thanks to the diligent work of IALR’s Lee Ann Mahan on the Certified Work Ready Communities (CWRC) initiative, Southern Virginia is leading the state in the number of NCRCs earned.

As CWRC Program Coordinator, Mahan works with the Dan River Region Collaborative, employers, workforce development boards, K-12, higher education and localities to expand adoption of the NCRC and to grow CWRCs. Forty-one percent of the total NCRCs awarded in Virginia have been earned in Southern Virginia. 

NCRCs are earned by completing the three WorkKeys Assessments in Applied Math, Workplace Documents, and Graphic Literacy. They demonstrate career readiness and have been adopted by many employers.