A Wednesday visit from Gov. Jay Nixon to a Jackson company brought Cape Girardeau County an official designation as a Certified Work Ready Community, or one that successfully matches workforce training with economic development needs.

While speaking to a group of local businesspeople, elected officials and community organization representatives at Mondi, a packaging company, Nixon said the county is one of only 12 in the state that has received the designation through an initiative led by American College Testing, or ACT.

"This is an outstanding example of what is possible when educators, industry leaders and communities work together with students to improve the quality of the workforce and broaden it at the same time," Nixon said of the county's new designation.

The initiative matches the skills of potential workers to the needs of more than 130 area employers, including Mondi.

Birdie Legrand, training safety manager for Mondi, said the initiative makes it possible for the company to screen potential employees who are students or otherwise unemployed using WorkKeys testing. ACT describes it as "a job skills assessment system that helps employers select, hire, train, develop and retain a high-performance workforce."

Area agencies and schools also are encouraging the use of the National Career Readiness Certificate, which students and job seekers can obtain to show potential employers they have skills pertinent to particular jobs.

Continued training for employees under the initiative also has added to retaining skilled workers, the governor said.

Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO John Mehner said in a news release the initiative "gives current and prospective employers a very tangible way to assess basic skills and determine if an applicant will be a fit for the job."

Also highlighted in the governor's remarks was the 4.5 percent unemployment rate in Cape Girardeau County, which is below the state average of 5.4 percent. The state average is its lowest since 2008.

Money approved by the state Legislature goes through Missouri's Workforce Investment Board along with some federal dollars to fund the initiative's testing and training.

eragan@semissourian.com

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