FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 29, 2013) – The Kentucky Workforce Investment Board (KWIB) received an “Award of Superior” for its Kentucky Work Ready Communities Communications Toolkit at the Communications Awards ceremony during the 2013 Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC) annual conference in Tulsa, Okla., in August 4-6.
“These annual Communication Awards recognize and showcase the leading marketing work done by economic development professionals throughout the south. Their campaigns must show creativity, strong messaging and effectiveness at reaching its target audience,” said SEDC Chairman Dan Motley, industrial development manager at Norfolk Southern Corporation in Atlanta.
The Communications Toolkit received the award in the internal communications category. The toolkit was developed by Thomas P. Miller Associates, Heartland Communications and Balance Creative to encourage Kentucky communities to apply for the new Kentucky Work Ready Communities certification program from the Kentucky Workforce Investment Board (KWIB) and the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. The certification assures employers that a local workforce has the talent and skills necessary to staff existing jobs and to master the innovative technologies new jobs will require.
“Congratulations to KWIB and especially Crystal Gibson and her committee for the work on the Communications Toolkit and this well-deserved recognition. We also want to thank and congratulate our consultants and the outstanding graphic design of the toolkit by Balance Creative in Lexington,” said Tom West, KWIB executive director.
Gibson, chair of the Kentucky Work Ready Communities Review Panel and vice president of Public Affairs at Citigroup, said, “The honor shows that all of the hard work that the committee and our consultants have done to promote the certification is paying off. We now have 25 counties that have achieved certification as Kentucky Work Ready or Work Ready in Progress and more than 40 others are working on applications.”
To be designated a Kentucky Work Ready Community a county must gather local support and commitment and apply for the certification. Counties have to meet criteria in six areas including high school graduation rate, National Career Readiness Certificate holders, demonstrated community commitment, educational attainment, soft-skills development and digital literacy. Boyle, Daviess, Warren, Woodford and Henderson counties have been designated as Kentucky Work Ready Communities since certification began in February 2012.
“The Kentucky Work Ready Communities program momentum is growing as more communities learn about the certification and how it can help them achieve a higher level of competiveness among business and industry. The Communications Toolkit has been a significant part of getting the word out to communities,” said Ed Holmes, chair of KWIB.
More than 20 categories of marketing work submitted by SEDC members are evaluated within four division size levels. The awards are: Best of Show, Best of Class, Superior, Excellent, Merit and Special Judges’ Awards. Judging criteria for general entry awards include graphic appeal, clarity of message, quality of information, positioning/differentiation and format.
Judges for the Communication Awards competition are economic development consultants, practitioners and design professionals from across the southern U.S. that work with clients in developing strategies for growth in their communities. SEDC chooses judges based on their knowledge of economic development, site location and design. For more information about SEDC, visit http://www.sedc.org/.
For more information about the Kentucky Work Ready Communities program, go tohttp://workready.ky.gov.
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