BROWNSVILLE, Tenn.—Do you want to further your career or show an employer that you are qualified to go to work? Haywood County has launched a new program, which will kick off in the fall of 2015. The Career Ready Find Your Success Program will help Haywood County produce a smarter, more capable and qualified workforce.

Business and political leaders attended the Career Ready luncheon on Tuesday to take part in the announcement.
Keynote speaker Chris Masingill, Co-Chairman of the Delta Regional Authority, presented Haywood County with $50,000, a start-up award from the Reimagining Delta Workforce. In addition, Masingill said the Workforce can provide another $50,000 if local governments can match the additional funding.

The program has two objectives for Haywood County workers. It will help individuals earn the Career Ready Certificates. The certifications mean that the applicant possesses certain important skills. Another goal is to establish Haywood County as a designated Workforce Ready Community.

The first objective is set to help every member of the Haywood County workforce to successfully complete the Career Ready Certificate, which includes High School juniors and seniors, as well as members of the existing workforce, unemployed residents, and disconnected youth. The Workforce Ready designation will serve as a recruitment tool to help recruit business and industry to the Memphis Regional Megasite as well as other industrial sites in Haywood
County.

Career Ready Recruiters

Three Career Ready recruiters, Hayden Hooper, Gwen Gavin, and Linda Jones, will help encourage all working-age residents to complete the Career Ready Certificate. They will help communicate the program’s message to Haywood County by showing the steps needed to earn certification, and they will also guide interested individuals to the Tennessee College of Applied Technology where participants can then further their education through the Tennessee Reconnect Program. Training and testing sites will be established at various locations throughout Haywood County to include churches, libraries, the Boys and Girls Club, and other convenient locations. The ACT pretesting and training will be provided for free to all residents of Haywood County, and will be integrated into classes at Haywood High School.

Program Leaders/Advisory Committee

Stanton Mayor Allan Sterbinsky and Gem Bell will lead this program in Haywood County. Sterbinsky has worked in Industrial/Organizational Psychology for Holiday Inn/Promus Companies; he has also taught and conducted educational research at the University of Memphis and Vanderbilt University.

The Career Ready Advisory Committee members include: Gem Bell (Teknor Apex), Jeff Autry (Teknor Apex), Renee Sisk (Precision Coils), Chuck Nicholson (Lasco Fittings), Rev. Tom Averyheart (Minister), Sammy Tillman (Minister), Renee Moss (Chamber of Commerce),Bill Rawls (City of Brownsville Mayor), Dr. Allan Sterbinsky (Mayor of Stanton), Nigel Peoples (Brownsville Police Department), Barry Diebold (Police Department), Melvin Bond (Haywood County Sheriff), and Pam Diebold (Haywood County Schools—CTE Director)