Paducah-McCracken County Earns Work Ready Community Recertification

Paducah KY

30 December, 2021

6:38 AM

Description

Press release from the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce: December 21, 2021 "I am delighted to learn that we are recertified," said Kevin O'Neill, West Kentucky Community & Technical College Vice President of Regional Workforce Training and Economic Development, who led the effort. "Being recertified only confirms what I have always known, that our community is unified and is ready and willing to do what it takes to promote economic development." Officials from WKCTC and the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce coordinated the recertification process, which is required every three years. "The Work Ready certification gives our county a competitive edge when businesses are looking to locate or expand," said Sandra Wilson, Chamber President. "We helped bring together our community partners so we could organize the necessary teams to complete the process." A kickoff luncheon was held at WKCTC in late June and individuals who represented government, education and community leaders were assigned to work in teams on the nine criteria of certification, which included high school graduation rates, National Career Readiness Certificate holders, community commitment, educational attainment, soft skills and Broadband availability. "Our community stakeholders worked hard on the recertification and it was a great opportunity for everyone to come together to once again see how valuable each and every one is to promote economic development," O'Neill added. The application was submitted to the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet and the Kentucky Workforce Investment Board by the deadline of September 3. Earning certification is an assurance to business and industry that a community is committed to providing the highly-skilled workforce required in today's competitive global economy. This press release was produced by the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author's own.