Black River Technical College Paragould works closely with local and state workforce development agencies and area economic development initiatives to serve the needs of businesses and industries within Clay, Greene, Lawrence, and Randolph counties in developing workforce programs which benefit both the workforce and employers.

BRTC is also proud to be the sole provider of training for the Greene County Industrial Training Council. Please take the time to browse the upcoming courses. BRTC provides premier customer service to ensure Northeast Arkansas' economic climate grows and remains strong, providing area workforce candidates opportunities and resources needed to advance. BRTC Paragould is committed to achieving exceptional levels of customer service.

Career Readiness Certificate - WorkKeys Testing Center
Black River Technical College is proud to be a partner and testing center for the new Career Readiness Certificate program.

Governor Mike Beebe announced January 18th, 2008 a new workplace-readiness credential that will reduce employee turnover, build job-seeker confidence, increase a graduate’s chances for hire and boost economic development.

The Arkansas Career Readiness Certificate (CRC) designates that an individual has core employability skills required across multiple industries and occupations. The CRC will give job seekers a competitive edge, assist them with creating a skill-enhancement road map and assure employers that they can perform the duties required for 21st century jobs. The CRC is portable, meaning it is not tied to any specific job or business.

Individuals can receive an Arkansas CRC by successfully completing the WorkKeys® comprehensive skills assessment, which is offered free of charge. Thousands of American and international companies use WorkKeys® assessments, job profiles, training evaluations, research and reporting services to assess skill needs and measure progress.

"One of the most frequent requests we get from businesses is for more comprehensive advance screening of potential employees," Beebe said. "The CRC will give Arkansans confidence in their own skills and qualifications, while helping employers improve the effectiveness of training dollars and streamline hiring decisions."

Additional benefits of the Arkansas CRC include increased chances that graduates will be hired, another incentive for students to take course work seriously, improved success in entry-level and subsequent jobs, and curricula that will be aligned to meet the job skills employers need.

It also will keep employers from moving entry-level jobs to other states, decrease the unemployment rate, create a work-ready community, increase the tax base and attract new employers to the state.

Upon successfully completing the desired levels of WorkKeys®, a person will then earn a bronze, silver or gold CRC signed by the governor and directors of the Department of Workforce Services and Arkansas Workforce Investment Board.

If you are interested in learning more about WorkKeys, please call us!

Valerie Dwyer Cont. Ed. & Workforce Customer Service Specialist & Secretary 239-0969 ext:109