Mecklenburg County was recently named a certified Work Ready Community (WRC) by the Commonwealth of Virginia and American College Testing (ACT). The certification will help attract new businesses and jobs in addition to strengthening the skill sets of the region’s high school students, job seekers and incumbent workforce.
“Mecklenburg County’s Office of Economic Development is so excited to have this new tool in our marketing toolbox,” said Angie Kellett, Director of Economic Development for Mecklenburg County. “This will help us tell a better story of the workforce our region offers to companies looking to relocate or expand in our area.”
Dr. Megan Healy, Chief Workforce Advisor to the Governor, attended the announcement to recognize the county’s achievement. Other partners included the Dan River Region Collaborative, the South Central Workforce Development Board, Southside Virginia Community College, Mecklenburg County Public Schools and regional employers. Some of the supportive regional employers included Nucor Buildings Group, BGF Industries Inc., Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative, VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital, Virginia Marble Manufacturers and Vulcan Materials Company.
To become certified, a locality must achieve benchmarks in three areas of performance: high school graduation rate, number of National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) credentials attained in the locality and number of employers recognizing the NCRC. The WRC effort provides a third-party validated, data-driven system for economic developers to promote the region’s workforce.
