Education and business leaders joined with government and economic development officials Thursday at Dumont Plaza to announce Lauderdale County has officially been certified as an ACT Work Ready Community.

“The ACT Work Ready Community designation … is not just a badge of honor,” Randy Sharman, president of A&B Electric, said during the press conference. “It’s a symbol of our collective resolve to invest in our people and provide them with the resources and tools they need to succeed in today’s dynamic job market.”

So far, 60 of Mississippi’s 82 counties are certified as ACT Work Ready Communities, with Lauderdale County officially certified on Feb. 20. Lauderdale, Kemper and Winston counties are the only counties in east central Mississippi currently certified, according to the nonprofit organization.

Craig Hitt, community development director for the city of Meridian, said achieving the Work Ready Community designation is the result of a lot of work and collaboration between local educational, governmental and business entities.

“I have had the opportunity to work in Meridian and Lauderdale County now for a number of years, and this, to me, is a true indicator that we can and will work together when we have a good goal and we have a common goal to work towards,” he said.

Said Meridian Community College President Tom Huebner, “I couldn’t be more proud today to announce that, ‘Today Meridian and Lauderdale County is a nationally certified Work Ready Community,’ and we are ready to tell the world that we have a community where people want to work.”

Being named an ACT Work Ready Community means Lauderdale County can show potential businesses and industries it can provide educated and skilled workers by using ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate testing data. Meanwhile, students can use their WorkKeys certificates to show potential employers they have the skills needed to succeed in the workforce.

“This ACT Work Ready Community designation signifies our collective commitment to fostering a skilled and prepared workforce ready to tackle the challenges of today’s competitive job market,” said Lauderdale County Schools Superintendent John-Mark Cain.

“It’s a collaborative effort that involves educators, employers and community leaders working hand in hand to cultivate a robust pipeline of skilled workers,” Rob Smith, Lauderdale County School District’s director of career and technical education, said of achieving the designation.

“By equipping our workforce with skills that employers value the most, we’re not only enhancing job opportunities for our residents but also attracting businesses to our community,” he said. “We are creating a cycle of prosperity that benefits everyone.”

In 2020, the state Board of Education began requiring all public high school students in Mississippi to take the ACT WorkKeys assessment before graduation. MCC’s Riley Workforce Development Center also offers testing for students and community residents who need to pass the assessment for education or employment requirements.

A standardized test, the ACT WorkKeys assessment indicates a student’s work readiness skills in the areas of applied math, graphic literacy (reading and locating information in graphs, charts, tables, etc.) and workplace documents (reading and comprehending written documents such as emails, signs, directions, etc.).

“WorkKeys, as it is commonly known, provides a national assessment standard for an individual’s capacity to do a particular kind of work,” Huebner said. “The assessment can be modified to meet virtually any employment related opportunity.”

Students must score at least a 3 or higher on each of the three assessments to earn an ACT WorkKeys certificate, which are issued either at the bronze, silver, gold and platinum level. Bronze indicates readiness for entry level jobs, silver readiness for blue/pink collar jobs and gold readiness for white-collar jobs. The platinum level indicates a high level of cognitive skills. Of the more than 223,500 WorkKeys certificates earned in the state since 2006, nearly 68% have received a silver or above, according to the Work Ready Communities website.

“Think of ACT WorkKeys as an entrance exam to the workplace just like the regular ACT might be the entrance exam into college,” Smith said. “For a student who participates in both of these, it is a wonderful start to a great career.”

The NCRC is meant to complement traditional credentials, such as a high school diploma or community college certificate, and not to replace them.

Smith said 133 businesses in Lauderdale County have signed on to recognize the NCRC credentials. Statewide, nearly 2,800 employers are supporting the initiative.

“As one of the largest employers in Lauderdale County, one of the keys for our continued growth is a diverse, ready and trained, or trainable, workforce in partnership with the schools,” said Allen Tyra, chief executive officer of Ochsner Rush Medical Center.

“We want to get in the schools early and get those kids moved toward high-paying jobs in the healthcare industry,” he said. “This program helps us identify those that are trainable and movable into those positions, so this is huge win for us and Lauderdale County.”

Meridian Public School District Superintendent Amy Carter said the Work Ready Community designation provides students with more momentum in building their future career after high school.

“What it means is our students now have leverage or momentum to be able to come into your workplaces (and say) ’I’m ready. I’m ready to work. I’m prepared to make a difference in my community,’” she told the business leaders.

“As I think about our students in Meridian, more specifically, I really think of that young person who wavers on whether to stay in our county or not,” Carter said. “Well, you’ve just given them reason to stay, to be a part of building a stronger community.”