PCDP an ACT national semifinalist

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IOWA CITY — ACT recently named 16 national semifinalists for the 2017 ACT College & Career Readiness Campaign, which celebrates individual and organizational efforts to advance college and career readiness for all. Preble County Development Partnership was among those named.

“The semifinalists include four exemplary individuals and organizations from each of the four categories recognized by the campaign: high school seniors (Student Readiness Exemplars), high schools (College & Career Transition Exemplars), postsecondary institutions (Career Preparedness Exemplars), and employers (Workplace Success Exemplars.) ACT noted in a press release.

“These semifinalists are an encouraging group of innovators and problem-solvers who seek success in college and career readiness for everyone in their communities,” said Scott Montgomery, senior vice president of public affairs at ACT. “We hope their stories serve as enlightening examples of what is being, and what can be done to shape the education and career landscape for years to come.”

This year’s 16 semifinalists are:

High School Seniors

Jayne Hanna (Alaska)

Wyatt Tauber (Minnesota)

Alyssa Bursott (South Dakota)

Jessica Diaz (Texas)

High Schools

Immokalee High School (Florida)

LEAD Academy High School (Tennessee)

Oakland Early College (Michigan)

George Washington High School (West Virginia)

Postsecondary Institutions

The University of Arizona (Arizona)

University of Alaska Anchorage, AHEC Program (Alaska)

Butler Community College (Kansas)

Western Nevada College, Jump Start College Program (Nevada)

Employers

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. (Arizona)

Martco, L.L.C. (Louisiana)

Preble County Development Partnership

Goodwill of North Georgia (Georgia)

An ACT selection committee — comprised of ACT team members from different functional areas of the organization — chose the 16 semifinalists out of 130 state exemplars representing all four categories of the campaign. This year, all 50 states and the District of Columbia participated in the annual campaign, up from 41 participating states last year.

The campaign next will select four National Exemplars — one exemplar per category — to be recognized at an ACT event later this fall. National Exemplars are chosen by a National Selection Committee, comprised of education and workforce leaders from across the nation.

The Preble County Development Partnership, Inc. (PCDP) is the county’s economic development department, “formed to address community growth and development, and assist in job creation, business retention, community outreach, and workforce development. PCDP engaged local businesses and educational partners to work toward the ACT Work Ready Community Certification (Preble County is the only Certified ACT Work Ready Community in the State of Ohio), offering ACT WorkKeys assessments to all high school seniors in Preble County for the past two years, and promoting the value of a National Career Readiness Certificate, as well as ACT Job Profiling and WorkKeys assessment tools to local high schools and businesses.”

The PCDP’s competition includes:

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc, an employee-owned commercial construction company founded in 1864, believes that investing in their employees’ personal and professional development is a direct investment into McCarthy’s future. McCarthy offers a personalized training program and approach under McCarthy Build U, which focuses on a leadership framework and training solutions. McCarthy partners with local high schools and colleges to provide apprenticeship and internship opportunities and conducts and assists presentations and construction tours with local schools and campuses.

Martco, L.L.C., a forest-products and wood-manufacturing company known for its philanthropy, sustainable forest practices, and human resource development. RoyOMartin is committed to closing the workforce gap in Central Louisiana and seeks to do so by offering employees a compensation system that promotes self-directed learning and advancement, an internal leadership-development program focused on hard and soft skills, and scholarships for employees and their dependents. RoyOMartin also partners with high schools, technical colleges, and universities to prepare students with the technical and manufacturing skills they need to succeed in the workforce and in life.

Goodwill of North Georgia, an independent and locally governed nonprofit established in 1925, operates retail stores, career centers and training programs to serve disadvantaged individuals across 45 counties of Metro Atlanta and North Georgia. Through partnerships with local school districts, college systems and employers, Goodwill offers a broad range of employment, training and support options, including job training, industry recognized credentials and dual enrollment opportunities. Last fiscal year, Goodwill connected over 20,000 North Georgians with work, and looks to increase their impact by 3,000 individuals this year.

By Eddie Mowen Jr.

[email protected]

Reach Eddie Mowen Jr. at 937-683-4056 or on Twitter @emowen_RH.

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