PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY (WSLS 10) - Pittsylvania County is now a Certified Work Ready Community (CWRC).
This nationally-recognized designation by the Commonwealth and American College Testing (ACT) signifies job-ready skill sets of the county's high school students, job seekers and incumbent workforce.
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Speaking about Tuesday's announcement, Governor Terry McAuliffe said, "Developing core workforce development skills is an essential component to building a world-class economy. I applaud Pittsylvania County for its leadership and continued efforts to prepare local workers for innovative, high-tech jobs. This certification is the foundation to attracting private sector investments that contribute to our efforts to build a new Virginia economy in every corner of the Commonwealth."
More than 70 local employers, educational institutions, and workforce development organizations supported Pittsylvania County's efforts to achieve this certification. To become certified, a county must achieve benchmarks in three areas of performance: high school graduation rate, number of National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) credentials attained in the county, and number of employers recognizing the NCRC.
Tuesday's announcement happened at Amthor International, located in Gretna.
"[Tuesday's] achievement by Pittsylvania County demonstrates that when we work together as a region, great things are possible. It demonstrates to our existing employers, as well as prospective companies, that we have a trainable workforce with the foundational skills to compete," stated Dr. Julie Brown, Program Director, Dan River Region Collaborative (DRCC).
In addition to Pittsylvania County, Henry County and Halifax County have been certified as Work Ready Communities. Three neighboring southern Virginia localities are on track to become CWRCs within the next four months, including Patrick County, and the cities of Danville and Martinsville.
In addition, Greensville County and the City of Emporia launched their CWRC initiatives in 2015, with Cumberland County planning to launch this spring.