Special to IFN
Iredell Ready, a program led by Iredell County Economic Development Corporation (Iredell EDC), will receive a 2024 Excellence in Economic Development Award from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC).
The award recognizes the organization’s work in the Talent Development & Retention category that impacted 200,000 residents. Iredell Ready will be honored at the IEDC 2024 Annual Conference in Denver, Colo., on September 15-18.
“Iredell EDC and their partners are setting the standard of excellence for economic development with the Iredell Ready initiative. This award highlights the Iredell EDC, the Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce, Mitchell Community College, Mooresville Graded School District, Iredell-Statesville Schools, Centralina Workforce Development Board, NCWorks, and Iredell County for their commitment to the community and demonstrates the transformative impact of economic development,” said Nathan Ohle, IEDC president and CEO.
“Iredell Ready’s contributions will leave a lasting impact and demonstrate its commitment to creating positive change for its residents,” added Kevin Kramer, chair of IEDC’s Excellence in Economic Development Awards Advisory Committee.
Led by Iredell Economic Development Corporation, Iredell Ready is a countywide workforce initiative for the purposes of cultivating career exploration, promoting lifelong learning, and closing the skills gap for Iredell County employers. The award follows the initiative’s first Workforce Forum in September 2023, where they unveiled their newly designed workforce dashboard, www.IredellReady.com, created by Springer Studios. The dashboard serves as a “one-stop shop” resource to help students and residents, kindergarten through retirement, identify opportunities to pursue career pathways and employment with businesses in Iredell County.
Additionally, the Iredell Ready initiative will serve to further strengthen partnerships with businesses by supporting their recruitment, retention, and pipeline development efforts to build a skilled workforce.
“The tools, links, and opportunities offered through Iredell Ready, enables students to actively find their career pathway and shape their future,” shared Melissa Neader, chair of Iredell County Board of Commissioners. “Additionally, this initiative provides working adults a pathway to pivot, seek new directions for career options, and strive to achieve their dreams. For an unemployed individual it becomes a starting point to seek an interesting career!
“The Iredell EDC brings together high-level skill sets working collaboratively to ensure the success of businesses and employees. Iredell Ready is already opening doors to brighter futures! Strong, well-suited employees are the heart of a business, and when businesses succeed, communities flourish! I look forward to continuing to see the change Iredell Ready will bring to our workforce,” she added.
Since the official launch of Iredell Ready in 2022, Iredell County has experienced a number of positive outcomes from the initiative, including:
• An Increase in Residents with a Credential or Post-Secondary Degree
(52% in 2021 – 55% in 2023)
• An Increase in CTE Credentials Earned by High School Students
(1,200 in 2021 – 5,663 in 2023)
• An Increase in High School Graduation Rate
(90% in 2022 – 91% in 2023)
• An Increase in Enrollment in Mitchell Community College Credential and Post-Secondary Degree Programs
(5% in 2022 – 8% in 2024)
Iredell Ready also further demonstrates the commitment of the founding partners to help Iredell County achieve workforce attainment goals contributing to the State of North Carolina’s goal of achieving 2 million North Carolinians earning a high-quality credential or postsecondary degree by 2030.
Every year IEDC looks specifically for economic development organizations, government entities, initiatives, and programs that have demonstrated consistent, exemplary performance in the economic development profession, leading the execution of projects that have a significant impact on revitalizing communities, and playing a major role in shaping and improving the practice of economic development.
“As an economic development organization, Iredell EDC is thrilled and honored to accept this award on behalf of Iredell Ready,” said Jenn Bosser, president and CEO of the Iredell County Economic Development Corporation. “This initiative, however, is about engaging a collective group of partners in industry, education, local government, and community to identify and implement strategic priorities that will strengthen our workforce pipeline. There are many amazing programs and initiatives available for students and residents across Iredell to explore pathways and earn a skilled credential, certification, or degree, and Iredell Ready is positioned to connect individuals with these opportunities.”