The Library & Workforce Development
Cass County Public Library has access to a great resource to help individuals hone their job skills. Learning Express Library has many practice tests to help you succeed in the Career Center: From Air Traffic Control to Teaching, you can practice specific career exams to prepare. There is also an Adult Learning Center to help you improve your math, reading, and writing skills. In addition to subscribing to Learning Express Library, the library has partnered with the Cass County Corporation for Economic Development (CCCED) to help assess and improve the skills of Cass County’s workforce.
The CCCED has collaborated with other Cass County stakeholders—elected officials, school districts & institutions of higher education, Chambers of Commerce, employers, and other civic organizations to launch a workforce development focused effort called the Cass County Certified Work Ready Community (CWRC) Initiative.
The local CWRC is part of a national effort centered on identifying and demonstrating the number of qualified workers available in a community and their relative skill levels based upon the National Career Ready Certificate (NCRC) developed by ACT. In Missouri, it is a state-wide program that is in place in more than 80 of the state’s 114 counties.
The NCRC is a portable, industry-recognized credential that documents an individual’s essential work skills in three key areas:
- Reading for information
- Applied math
- Locating information
These skills are required in the vast majority of jobs. To earn the NCRC, individuals complete the WorkKeys assessment. Supported by data from more than 20,000 job skills profiles and rooted in decades of workplace research, WorkKeys assessments are based on situations in the everyday working world.
The WorkKeys assessment can be a valuable alternative to higher education. Some individuals may not succeed in a classroom environment. Others may not want to go on to a college or university. The NCRC showcases the skills an individual has and can help them succeed and advance in their career path. Individuals can take the assessment at any time: in school, for a job application, or to earn the certificate to help in their job search.
When individuals earn the NCRC, they become part of a robust workforce that helps their community’s economy thrive-which benefits everyone. More than 3 million certificates have been issued across the United States. The NCRC helps:
- Job seekers and current employees improve their career outcomes
- Students prepare to success in a variety of career pathways
- Educators gain confidence that their students are ready for life after high school
- Employers and human resources professionals improve their hiring, training, and promotion decisions
- Workforce developers better assist those they serve, including displaced workers, in entering or re-entering the job market
- Economic developers provide evidence of a skilled workforce that helps attract business and industry
- Industry associations have a foundation for building systems of stackable credentials
- Policymakers and legislators gain a resource to create policy and legislative solutions to the nation’s economic and educational challenges.
The NCRC WorkKeys Assessment is offered weekly at the Cass County Public Library branch in Harrisonville every Wednesday from 1pm to 5pm. Individuals can also contact the Missouri Job Center in Belton at 109 Congress, Belton, MO 64012. Hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The telephone number is 816.318.3922.
If you are an employer in Cass County and wish to sign a letter of support, click here. To learn more about Work Ready Communities, click here.
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