Employer Partners
The focus and design of the High School Ready-To-Work Program is Employer Driven, with a strong emphasis on community partner support. Addressing the skills gap requires collaboration among all stakeholders, particularly those with the most at stake—employers and community partners. The primary challenge employers face is the difficulty in finding qualified talent. To build a sustainable talent pipeline, employers must learn how to “grow their own” while working alongside community partners to align their industries’ hiring demands with the needs of the future workforce.
Industry Driven Training Design:
The High School Ready-to-Work Program is designed by employers and community partners to ensure that each employer training block addresses real hiring needs. The challenge of the skills gap must be met by those who have the most at stake, which is why employers and community partners serve as the driving forces behind this program. Students are pre-identified by school leaders as potential candidates entering the workforce upon graduation.on.
Regional Industry Focus
The High School Ready-to-Work Program is structured not only to meet the hiring needs of individual companies but also to establish a workforce development collaborative that serves multiple industries. By collaborating with community partners, businesses can maximize their leverage in negotiating the talent supply chain, enhance brand recognition, and share in capacity building. The primary industries that have been the focus include:
- Transportation and Logistics
- Manufacturing
- Information Technology
- Architecture and Construction
- Healthcare
- Hospitality and Tourism
Certification Requirements include
- 95% Attendance and punctuality rate
- Satisfactory achievement of work ethic, organizational skills, attitude and motivation
- 70% or higher on all required assessments
- Successful completion of Work Keys assessment with level 3 or higher
Ready-to-Work program graduates will receive Industry Recognized Credentials:
- An Alabama Certified Employee Certification
- A National Career Readiness Certification
- One free course at any Alabama Community College (4 credit hours)
- Articulated credit for Workplace skills when enrolling into an Alabama Community College