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Craighead County, Arkansas

Of the 13 locations receiving economic development infrastructure grants, 11 are in participating Work Ready Communities. The news team of Southwest Arkansas Today shared the list along with remarks from state officials.

Site Selection magazine, a key publication for the economic development industry, ranked Arkansas No. 1 in its region for workforce development. Arkansas moved from second to first regionally in the South Central Region, which includes AL, KY, OK, LA, MS, TN, and TX. The Natural State has 51 counties participating in Work Ready Communities with more than 12 hundred supporting employers.

Arkansas Ready for Life launched enhancements to their online career exploration cards that link to WorkKeys skill profiles. The new tool helps users set understand the skills they need to acquire to meet career and life goals. Available now at https://www.readyforlife.com/,   users can browse career pathways and personalize learning with a wide variety of courses. The currently employed can browse industry or other training while prospective hires can become familiar with a new field before applying to a position.

mployers in Craighead County now have one more tool to identify highly skilled workers for their companies. Craighead County is now an ACT Work Community, according to Jonesboro Unlimited.The purpose of establishing an ACT Work Ready Community is to close the skills gaps between potential employees and the needs of employers. Nationwide, more than 400 counties and 21,000 employers participate in the ACT Work Ready Program. Currently, 4.4 million people have attained their ACT Workkeys National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC). An NCRC certificate has four levels – platinum, gold, silver, and bronze.

The state of U.S. manufacturing is a hot topic in national economic and political conversations today. Issues like tax reform, trade partnerships and regulations are fueling a national debate over how to create and retain U.S. manufacturing investment and jobs. Though a favorable business and tax climate is important to manufacturers, the most critical factor leading to location decisions for new investment and jobs is actually the labor market.