Batavia, NY – Nine students from Pavilion High School completed the ACT® WorkKeys® National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), connecting them to future careers available in Genesee County and across many industries.

The NCRC assesses the skills of the workforce’s emerging, current and transitioning members. Eight graduating seniors and one junior from Pavilion demonstrated their career readiness across applied math, graphic literacy and workplace documents, earning a combined four gold certification, four silver certifications, and a bronze certification.

Timothy Lonnen, a senior at Pavilion, said the NCRC assessment results showed the career readiness that he and his classmates have put into practice through summer jobs and internships.

“It’s going to be nice for people to put on paper what you know in your head,” said Lonnen, a senior planning whose long-term plan is to start a construction company. “You can have a (standardized testing) score for college, but this will give you a score for real jobs coming out of high school.”

Lonnen, along with Landen Stoddard, Jake Andrews, Crick Cotts, Elli Wolcott, Isiah Ture, Ryan MacKay, Brendan Savidge, and Ben Pritchett, received their certificates Friday at a ceremony in Pavilion.

Stoddard, who works on a local dairy farm, said the NCRC’s topics were aligned to the skills Pavilion students gain in school and in work. He plans to attend Alfred State for agribusiness and management, and to continue at a farm or start his own custom agricultural company.

“Pavilion has a lot of people that are already in the careers that they think they are going to pursue. I think that helps a lot with the test,” Stoddard said. “It shows that there are a lot of people that can work, but maybe school isn’t for them and they are ready to go into their careers.”

The students’ success is part of Genesee County’s Work Ready Communities initiative. To reach that goal, Genesee County will also need to achieve targets for participation by students, incumbent workers, and NCRC completions. The assessment can be utilized to assist individuals in their job searches and by employers to match skills with job opportunities and show the quality of Genesee County’s workforce.

“We’re inspired by these students and their commitment to building a strong foundation for their future careers,” said Fred McConnel, senior director of workforce at ACT. “By earning the National Career Readiness Certificate, they’re preparing themselves for success while helping to strengthen Genesee County’s workforce and leading the way for their peers across the region.”

Pavilion High School was the first high school in Genesee County to have students complete the NCRC as part of the Work Ready Communities initiative. Participating students are planning to pursue careers in construction, agriculture, manufacturing; or continue their education at local colleges. The school hopes its first cohort of test takers will motivate more students to see their strengths and understand areas for growth.

“I’m so proud of our students,” said Pavilion Superintendent Mary Kate Hoffman. “They are leading the way in building a vibrant workforce and a Work Ready Community in Genesee County. Our goal at Pavilion Central is to ensure our students have choices when they leave us. They may choose college or they may choose the workforce. Either way, they will leave us well prepared for a successful future. WorkKeys supports this goal and employers will know that Pavilion students have the skills to be work ready.”

Genesee County has completed the first of four targets to achieve ACT Work Ready Communities certification. 105 businesses located in and/or serving Genesee County have signed up as supporters of the initiative, surpassing the program’s goal, and recognize the certification as a pre-qualification for the skills they value in hiring.

“With the overwhelming support of our businesses, and the increasing numbers of students that will receive their NCRC certifications, Genesee County is once again proving that we have the ideal workforce for our businesses to grow,” said Chris Suozzi, Executive Vice President of Business and Workforce Development at the Genesee County Economic Development Center. “Manufacturers, Main Street businesses and all of Genesee County’s employers benefit when we invest in our youth and future workforce.”

To learn how to get involved as a business, student, incumbent worker, or job seeker, please visit https://www.workreadycommunities.org/NY/037.