The Missouri Department of Economic Development has announced that Warren County has been designated as a Certified Work Ready Community (CWRC).This designation is the result of a unified effort by workforce development professionals — along with business, education, local government and community leaders — to meet the economic development needs of Warren County.“This will be a great tool for attracting new businesses to our community,” said Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jan Olearnick, who chaired the leadership team which pursued the CWRC designation.In 2012, Missouri was one of the first four states selected to participate in the CWRC initiative. The purpose is to align workforce training programs with the economic development needs of communities.The foundation of the certification is based on individuals at the county level earning an ACT National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) and employers recognizing this credential.The NCRC is earned through scoring at certain competency levels on the WorkKeys Assessment which measures skills critical to on-the-job success across industries and occupations. These include applied mathematics, locating information and reading for information.The Missouri Job Center of Warrenton, located at the office of Boonslick Regional Planning Commission (BRPC), offered the WorkKeys Assessment to individuals who were employed, as well as those transitioning from their current jobs.In addition, staff worked with local school districts to test students who would soon be graduating and entering the job market. The assessment provides evidence of skills gaps.Educators are able to establish training which addresses these skills gaps, helping to create a strong talent pipeline for both existing businesses and new businesses considering locating in the area.“We are invested in this region and continually seek out ways to bring local groups together to partner on projects,” said BRPC Executive Director Chad Eggen.“We are so proud that Warren County has achieved designation as a Work Ready Community,” said BRPC Business Outreach Coordinator JoAnn Toerper. “This was truly a collaborative effort of local businesses and educators, elected officials, chambers of commerce, economic developers, and other community leaders. I cannot stress enough the importance of partners like St. Charles Community College, East Central Community College, and Division of Workforce Development personnel. Everyone worked as a team to achieve this goal.”Being designated as a Work Ready Community illustrates Warren County’s commitment to bring opportunities for success to its residents and businesses.To learn more about this initiative, visit www.workreadycommunities.org/MO. Links with information also will be placed on Boonslick Regional Planning Commission’s website at www.boonslick.org.Work Ready Communities