The Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County (CBICC) is engaging local businesses with a new video, encouraging students to enroll in CentreREADY.

CentreREADY is the CBICC’s local workforce preparedness initiative that partners with all five of Centre County’s public school districts and its two career and technical education institutions.

The initiative focuses on six basic skills that local employers say are essential for their future employees to have.

The six basic skills are: work ethic, tactfulness and manners, team work, communication, critical thinking and problem solving, and understanding supervision and the world of work.

Enrollment in CentreREADY is voluntary and encourages and tells students that having these core skills and taking steps to earn the CentreREADY designation matters to their future.

“At Geisinger, we want our patients to have a truly exceptional experience,” said Matthew Nussbaum, Associate Vice President, Regional Operations, Geisinger Health System, one of the business leaders featured in the video. “In order to fulfill that mission, we need people with strong core values and the technical skills to make that happen.”

Another company featured in the video, First Quality, is in the process of expanding and is looking to hire 130 more people to accommodate their growth.

“First Quality really feels obligated to get out there in the community, in the high schools, to educate students about job skills needs and the deficiencies that exist today,” said Joe Miller, Senior Human Resources Professional for First Quality.

The video also features testimonials from Centre County students that have already enrolled and encourages their peers to enroll.