The ACT Work Ready Community initiative is designed to help communities like Winston County strengthen their workforce development efforts in improving the local talent pipeline for business and industry. This community-based framework allows potential employers to assess and measure an individual’s skill sets through the standardized workforce credential – the ACT WorkKeys © National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) – as a means of pairing individuals to jobs based on their quantifiable skill level.

Winston County is an ACT Work Ready Community having completed all necessary criteria to achieve the designation in April 2019. This achievement caps an 18-month process and starts a two-year sustained growth and maintenance phase to retain the work ready designation.

ACT Workkeys National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC)

Workforce		Total NCRC	Bronze NCRC	Silver NCRC	Gold NCRC	Platinum NCRC
Emerging	High School	400	184	151	49	16
	College	78	20	48	9	+
Current	Private	449	102	283	54	10
	Public	73	19	38	14	+
Transitioning	Adult Education	29	10	13	4	+
	Unemployed	674	203	396	61	14
	Recent Veteran	+	0	+	9	0
	Workforce category not identified	+	+	0	+	0
	Totals	1707	539	930	193	45

The table above is a detailed breakdown of the same ACT WorkKeys NCRC data presented in the upper right box on this page and represents ACT WorkKeys NCRCs earned or improved throughout the community. All ACT WorkKeys NCRC data is updated monthly.

Employers Recognizing or Recommending the ACT Workkeys NCRC

• Mike Rozier Construction Co. Inc.^*
• Polo Custom Products^*
• GT Physical Therapy^*
• Golden Triangle Planning and Development District^*
• The Citizens Bank^*
• BancorpSouth Bank^*
• Nowell-Massey Funeral Home^*
• Southern Traditions LLC^*
• Burnt Orange Studio^*
• Whimsical Wicks Candle Company LLC^*
• Ala Carte Alice^*
• Jewel Shoppe^*
• Southeastern Timber Products^*
• Caperton Lawn & Landscape LLC^*
• Evergreen Garden Center^*
• Mississippi Manufacturers Association^*
• United States Rail LLC^*
• Town of Noxapater^*
• City of Louisville^*
• Winston County^*
• Custom Shirts and Tees^*
• Southern Strings and Things LLC^*
• Rives & Reynolds Lumber Co.^*
• Market Cafe^*
• Louisville Utilities^*

^*Pending Re-affirmation

Maintaining Goals

Workforce	Goals	Actual NCRC
Emerging	434	478
Current	264	522
Transitioning	437	704
	Goals	Actual
Improved Certificates	136	107

Employer Supporting Goals

Employers Supporting	0
New and reaffirming employers support goal	17
New and reaffirming employers support actual	13

Improved ACT NCRC

To/From	Bronze	Silver	Gold	Platinum
Not Earned	17	10	1	0
Bronze		77	0	1
Silver			0	0
Gold				1