ACT Ready for Work
Podcast Episode 1
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Dig deep into the role that economic development plays in the workforce ecosystem. In this episode, we sit down with Will Coppage, deputy director for the Washington County Economic Alliance (WCEA) in Greenville, Mississippi. Will shares how his community continues to overcome the challenges of being a rural county by taking a regional approach and leveraging the Work Ready Communities model.
By identifying the level of competency in the workforce and evaluating the needs of employers, WCEA aligned training and education to minimize skills gaps.
The effort grew into a multi-county collaboration called Delta Strong, which provides a narrative to represent the entire region. The end result? A positive attitude among residents and trust within the community. Tune in to hear about the collaboration that made it possible, how they overcame the biggest hurdles, and how the alignment of assets strengthened the workforce ecosystem.
Don’t miss the tips for engaging site location consultants.
Join the Conversation
Will Coppage: @wcoppage
Washington County Economic Alliance: @wceams
Jasen Jones: @JasenCJones
ACT Twitter: @act
ACT LinkedIn: ACT Workforce Solutions
#ACTReadyForWork #ACTWorkforce
Will Coppage
About Will Coppage
Will Coppage is Executive Director at Washington County Economic Alliance (WCEA). Since joining the WCEA, Coppage has been instrumental in pushing efforts forward related to promotional marketing, digital strategies, workforce development, and project management. He was a key player in bringing the NuFarm Americas industry to Washington County recently. Coppage was named Top 50 under 40 by the Mississippi Business Journal, Top 20 under 40 by the Delta Democrat-Times; and won the 2017 Ray and Jimmy Heidel Economic Development Leadership Award at the True South Economic Development session. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute, 2018.