ACT and Nation's Community Colleges Launch Network of Testing and Training Centers.Business Editors IOWA CITY Iowa City, city (1990 pop. 59,738), seat of Johnson co., E Iowa, on both sides of the Iowa River; founded 1839 as the capital of Iowa Territory, inc. 1853. Among its manufactures are foam rubber, animal feed, paper, and food products. The city is the seat of the Univ. , Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 25, 2000 The first wave of ACT, Inc.'s network of computerized computerized adapted for analysis, storage and retrieval on a computer. computerized axial tomography see computed tomography. testing and training centers will be located at some of the nation's leading community colleges, the company announced today. The ACT Centers will use state-of-the-art technology to deliver services to businesses and individuals aimed at boosting the skills of the country's workforce. ACT has released a list of 40 host institutions, located in major metropolitan areas from Massachusetts Massachusetts (măsəch  `sĭts), most populous of the New England states of the NE United States. to Washington Washington, town, EnglandWashington, town (1991 pop. 48,856), Sunderland metropolitan district, NE England. Washington was designated one of the new towns in 1964 to alleviate overpopulation in the Tyneside-Wearside area. state, that have committed to establish ACT Centers. In addition, four states, Colorado Colorado, state, United States Colorado (kŏlərăd`ə, –răd`ō, –rä`dō), state, W central United States, one of the Rocky Mt. states. , Kentucky Kentucky, state, United States Kentucky (kəntŭk`ē, kĭn–), one of the so-called border states of the S central United States. It is bordered by West Virginia and Virginia (E); Tennessee (S); the Mississippi R. , Oklahoma Oklahoma (ōkləhō`mə), state in SW United States. It is bordered by Missouri and Arkansas (E); Texas, partially across the Red R. (S, W); New Mexico, across the narrow edge of the Oklahoma Panhandle (W); and Colorado and Kansas (N). and Hawaii Hawaii, island, United States Hawaii, island (1990 pop. 120,217), 4,037 sq mi (10,456 sq km), largest and southernmost island of the state of Hawaii and coextensive with Hawaii co.; known as the Big Island. have committed to developing ACT Centers statewide throughout their community college systems. The network will answer the most pressing need of American American, river, 30 mi (48 km) long, rising in N central Calif. in the Sierra Nevada and flowing SW into the Sacramento River at Sacramento. The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill (see Sutter, John Augustus) along the river in 1848 led to the California gold rush of businesses today - the hiring and training of qualified employees. It will also give individuals the chance to explore career options and find training programs to help make those options a reality. &uot;The ACT Centers will be America's number one resource for success in the workplace,&uot; said Richard Ri·chard , Joseph Henri Maurice Known as "Rocket." 1921-2000. Canadian hockey player. A right wing for the Montreal Canadiens (1942-1960), he led his team to eight Stanley Cup championships and was the first player to score 50 goals in a L. Ferguson, president of ACT, Inc. &uot;If you are a business owner who wants to take your employees to a higher level of skill, the ACT Center is the place to go. If you are a person who wants to achieve career goals, we have the tools you need to succeed.&uot; ACT Centers will offer a vast library of training programs utilizing computers, the Internet Internet Publicly accessible computer network connecting many smaller networks from around the world. It grew out of a U.S. Defense Department program called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), established in 1969 with connections between computers at the and other emerging technologies. Individuals wanting to improve their careers and businesses needing to develop their employees will be able to access individual or group training in a broad spectrum of areas including: -- Adult Literacy/Employability Skills -- Computers and Information Technology -- Industrial Safety and Technical Skills -- Management/Leadership and Small Business Operation -- Professional and Personal Development Other services offered at ACT Centers will include: -- Computerized education and career-guidance programs -- Computer-delivered certification and licensure licensure (lī´s  nsh tests for thetrades and professions -- Distance learning with state-of-the-art technology ACT, Inc. is the not-for-profit Not-for-profit An organization established for charitable, humanitarian, or educational purposes that is exempt from some taxes and in which no one in profits or losses. organization best known for its ACT Assessment, the college entrance and placement exam In the U.S., incoming freshmen usually take one or more placement tests on various subjects to determine which class should be taken in the fall. Placement exams are also administered to fifth graders entering middle school. . During the past decade, ACT has designed strong workforce development programs such as Work Keys(R), which is used by Fortune 500 companies and smaller firms to assess the skills of employees or job applicants compared with the skill levels needed for specific jobs. Results of the assessments provide the company with information on a person's true job abilities and the employee has information he or she needs to determine if more training is needed in order to achieve career goals. Work Keys assessments will be offered at ACT Centers. The combined services may result in a stronger economy in the communities hosting an ACT Center. &uot;A strong local workforce means a better ability to attract new industry and jobs,&uot; said Ferguson. &uot;Employees with stronger skills can also qualify for higher paying jobs. Everyone wins with better training, and that is ACT's mission in education and workforce development - providing people with the information they need for success in their education and career.&uot; ACT has established relationships with several organizations that will assist in providing technology and services in operating the ACT Centers. Those organizations include EDS (Electronic Data Systems, Plano, TX, www.eds.com) Founded in 1962 by H. Ross Perot (independent candidate for the President of the U.S. in 1992), EDS is the largest outsourcing and data processing services organization in the country. , a leader in the global information services See Information Systems. industry. ACT's goal is to launch 250 ACT Centers before the end of 2001. The first sites will be operational within two months. You can find more information on the ACT Centers at ACT's website, www.act.org.
ACT Center Host Institutions
First Four ACT Center Locations
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Kirkwood Community College Cedar Rapids, IA
Middlesex Community College Lowell, MA
Austin Community College Austin, TX
Westark Community College Ft. Smith, AR
Future Hosts of ACT Centers as of Jan. 25, 2000
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Bellevue Community College Bellevue, WA
Bunker Hill Community College Boston, MA
Borough of Manhattan Community Colleges New York, NY
Calhoun Community College Decatur, AL
Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte, NC
City Colleges of Chicago Chicago, IL
College of Lake County Grayslake, IL
Colorado Community College & Occupational Education System
Colorado (Statewide)
Columbus State Community College Columbus, OH
Community College of Allegheny County Pittsburgh, PA
Community College of Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA
Cuyahoga Community College Cleveland, OH
Dallas County Community College District
Bill J. Priest Inst. for Economic
Development Dallas, TX
Delgado Community College New Orleans, LA
Delta College University Center, MI
Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA
Eastern Iowa Community College District Davenport, IA
University of Hawaii, Community Colleges Honolulu, HI (Statewide)
Hinds Community College Raymond, MS
Johnson County Community College Overland Park, KS
Kentucky Community & Technical College System Lexington, KY
(Statewide)
Lehigh Carbon Community College Schnecksville, PA
Metropolitan Community Colleges Kansas City, MO
Milwaukee Area Technical College Milwaukee, WI
Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills, IL
Nashville State Technical Institute Nashville, TN
N. Harris Montgomery Community
College Dist. Houston, TX
Oakland Community College Bloomfield Hills, MI
Oklahoma State Regents for
Higher Education Oklahoma City, OK
(Statewide)
Passaic County Community College Paterson, NJ
Pima Community College Tucson, AZ
Portland Community College Portland, OR
South Suburban College South Holland, IL
Tarrant County College District Fort Worth, TX
Valencia Community College Orlando, FL
West Virginia University Morgantown, WV
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