Eau Claire Counties Work Ready Communities initiative

5 Feb 2019


Business News

In a tight labor market, the pressure to hire and retain employees quickly enough to meet demand, puts tremendous pressure on companies and human resource departments.  Add to this, the challenge of gauging the specific skill sets that an applicant possesses.   

 

Employers within 25 miles of Eau Claire are encouraged to support the “Work Ready” initiative that utilizes the “WorkKeys” assessment to better answer the above questions.  Currently ALL high school Juniors are required to take this career-based assessment. Those that score at a high enough level can, and have earned a certificate with resulting indicators in the following topics:

 

  • Applied Math
  • Workplace Documents
  • Graphic Literacy

 

In addition, more and more adults are being encouraged to take the WorkKeys assessment in order to highlight their workplace skills. Those holding a certificate can provide this information to prospective employers in order to present validated skills attainment.  As a result, companies across the country have utilized this approach to revolutionize their hiring practices with great success.

 

The First Step:

The first step is easy and completely free! Simply “Recognize” this if an applicant presents a certificate. Or, “Recommend” this as part of your hiring process.

 

https://www.workreadycommunities.org/business/form

 

Next Step-“Work Read Community”:

Taking this approach one step further, click on the link below to list yourself as an employer who does either of the above. More and more, we are learning that as companies expand and hire site selectors, they are beginning to ask about whether counties are “Work Ready” and use the above WorkKeys approach.

 

There is no cost, obligates you to nothing further, but DOES support Eau Claire County in our efforts to become a “Work Ready Community!” 

For more information regarding this important initiative that can add value to your hiring and retention efforts, contact us at the number or email below. We are happy to visit! In addition, if you are interested in working on this exciting project, we are happy to include you.