ACT to create center to support Workforce Advancement
March 1, 2016
ACT announced plans to create the ACT Center for Workforce Advancement to better support workforce and career readiness at the national level. The center will support large-scale workforce and career advocacy efforts intended to promote the importance of workforce readiness for all individuals.
In addition to creating the center, ACT will merge its Work Ready Communities (WRC) initiative with its state-based ACT State Organizations to expand its work with local grassroots organizations, businesses, and chambers of commerce.
“College and career readiness is more important than ever, but the ‘career’ side has not been given the attention it deserves,” said ACT Chief Executive Officer Marten Roorda. “The country needs career readiness to take equal billing with college readiness and become an equivalent part of the goal to which all education and training efforts point.”
The initial goals for the center include:
- building industry and government acceptance of verified work skills credentials
- creating industry-recognized competency models
- advancing policies that promote innovative standards and practices for workplace credentialing.
Through the center, ACT will implement partnerships to support career readiness initiatives and publish original research and policy positions to support career and workforce advocates and thought leaders in their efforts.
“ACT has long had a presence in career solutions, and the center is designed to propel ACT to the next level of engagement,” said ACT Vice President Scott Montgomery. “Our data on workforce readiness can help businesses address pressing issues with talent acquisition. We want to assist individuals’ efforts to enter the workforce and be an asset to business and industry.”
The center will leverage resources from ACT’s Community and Economic Development (CED) unit and build on the extraordinary work of the Work Ready Communities initiative that has helped build sustainable workforce development systems in 23 states. Several staff members from CED will move to the new center to support national engagement programs and the National Workforce Solutions Advisory Board (NWSAB), while others will continue to support the WRC initiative in its new collaboration with the ACT State Organizations unit.
“We’re grateful for the work of the National Workforce Solutions Advisory Board and its desire to address the needs of the business community,” said Montgomery. “We’ve also heard from our State Organizations that connecting education and business in meaningful partnerships is critical. This effort will connect K–12 and postsecondary education with the workforce, creating a pipeline that we expect will pay huge dividends for individuals and employers.”
About ACT
ACT is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people achieve education and workplace success. Headquartered in Iowa City, Iowa, ACT is trusted as the nation’s leader in college and career readiness, providing high-quality achievement assessments grounded in more than 50 years of research and experience. ACT’s uniquely integrated set of solutions provide insights that empower individuals to succeed from elementary school through career. To learn more about ACT, go to www.act.org.
