Richland certified as Work Ready Community

Richland Parish was officially certified as a Work Ready Community on Jan. 7.

Richland Parish Chamber of Commerce director Scott Franklin signed the certification papers Jan. 7, completing a two-year long cooperative effort with Ouachita and Morehouse Parishes to build and improve the area’s workforce.

“This would not have ever been possible without our Richland Workforce Development Board, the Richland Parish School System, the Monroe Chamber and its Director Sue Nicholson, and fellow Richland Chamber director, my friend Chelsea Higginbotham,” Franklin said.

The Work Ready program assists regions and states with developing a workforce pipeline to provide skilled workers for employers by using the ACT WorkKeys System. 

 Job seekers — and current workers — take the WorkKeys assessment to establish the presence of basic skills necessary for success in a given job. Students who successfully complete the assessment receive National Career Readiness certificates. Based on performance, a certificate is bronze, silver, gold or platinum. 

Richland Parish currently has 885 NCR certified workers. Of those, 354 have bronze certification, 451 have silver, 64 have gold and 16 have platinum. There are a total of 32 employers in Richland Parish who currently participate in the program.

“I’m most proud that this project, which will create more employment opportunities for our children, cost the taxpayers absolutely nothing,” Franklin said. “Good things sometimes simply require initiative and willingness to volunteer.”