NATCHEZ — The Miss-Lou Work Ready initiative has met one of its first goals.

The effort, to get a percentage of the workforce to take the WorkKeys assessment from ACT, Inc., so business and industry recruiters can have a snapshot of the labor pool’s skills to present to potential job creators, began in September.

The initiative had until July to get 65 businesses to sign on their support of the project, but Wednesday Alcorn State University’s Special Assistant to the President for Community and Economic Development Ruth Nichols said that goal has been reached.

The next milestone is to get 550 employees or potential employees in the current, emerging or transitioning workforce tested through the program.

Because the Miss-Lou is approaching the effort as a region, that goal is broken down into two areas, Adams County and Concordia Parish.

In Adams County, the goal is to test 17 people who are currently employed, 84 in the emerging workforce — those leaving high school or college — and 107 in the transitioning workforce, or those who are un- or underemployed.

In Concordia Parish, the goal is for 17 currently employed, 53 emerging and 133 transitioning workers to be tested.

Nichols said the parish schools already do the WorkKeys assessment, and that data will be available to include in the new effort, and the Adams County schools have agreed to include the tests as well.

The WorkKeys tests will be available at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Central Louisiana Technical Community College, the WIN Job Center and the LaWorks office in Ferriday.

CLTCC Dean Mignonne Ater said the tests are offered at no cost to Louisiana residents. A representative of the WIN Job Center said the tests should be free to Mississippi residents.

The tests — which Nichols said focus on how knowledge can be applied rather than just on classroom knowledge itself — rank employees on a four-tier system.

Those who rank bronze are considered capable of performing 35 percent of jobs available, while those who rank silver can do 65 percent of jobs and gold can perform 90 percent.

The fourth level, platinum, is reserved for those considered capable of 99 percent of available jobs.

Ater said CLTCC also offers a pre-test and remediation course for those who need to take the test but might be a little rusty on some of the skills tested.

The Miss-Lou effort will include an extra dimension, which looks at personality, Nichols said.

“You can’t always tell from an interview if these people will play well together with others,” she said.

By encouraging or requiring applicants to take the test, employers can customize job offerings, Nichols said.

“It will save you time and reduce your turnover,” she said. “We’ve all been there where we spend money training someone and then they don’t have the skills necessary.”

The certification is also good for workers because it gives them something they can take to employers and show what skills they have not only locally but nationally, Nichols said.

While the tests take nearly four hours of aggregate time, Natchez Inc. Executive Director said that shouldn’t deter employers.

“They shouldn’t be easy,” he said. “These are eventually going to be your employees, who will be using your equipment.”

The cost of the initial year of the effort is covered by a grant, but Russ said the group has a goal of making the effort sustainable in the long-term.