Wednesday, July 30, 2025
In Her Own Words: EC County Leading the Way as WI’s First ACT Work Ready Community
CVTC Provost and Vice President of Student Affairs, Dr. Lynette Livingston, writes about CVTC's involvement in community's workforce development
Eau Claire County continues to lead the way in workforce development as Wisconsin’s first designated ACT Work Ready Community—a milestone that reflects not just our success, but a collaborative vision for the future of our region’s economy. This designation remains a powerful example of how education, business, and community partnerships can drive long-term, meaningful change.
Our path to becoming an ACT Work Ready Community was marked by both opportunities and challenges. Initially, state support for ACT Work Keys testing available to job center participants and high school juniors, along with funding for job profilers, helped us lay a strong foundation. But when state funding was cut just one year later, our momentum didn’t stop. Instead, Eau Claire County doubled down.
Chippewa Valley Technical College stepped up, training faculty to become job profilers and securing grant funding to help local businesses stay engaged. Employers throughout the county supported the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), enabling us to reach recognition goals quickly. Faculty also introduced innovative practices like aligning ACT Work Keys test scores with existing math curriculum so students could earn credit for prior learning and save time and tuition.
The deep collaboration across sectors has made this effort truly successful. By aligning the goals of educators, workforce development agencies, employers, and students, Eau Claire County broke down silos and built stronger connections. Systems that typically operate independently have found ways to share resources and move forward together. As systems theory suggests, aligning vision, goals, and commitments is the backbone of effective collaboration, which our experience has proven to be true.
Equally important was our focus on local needs. Taking a regional approach helped us stay responsive and relevant, allowing for deeper relationships and a stronger impact to create lasting change.
Eau Claire County’s story is one of persistence, creativity, and commitment. We’ve shown that when communities come together around a shared purpose, real transformation is possible. And we’re just getting started.
Dr. Lynette Livingston is Provost and Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at Chippewa Valley Technical College. Her areas of specialty include curriculum, workforce development, and career and technical education. She is also an Aspen Rising Presidential Fellow.
