Education

The Meade County Chamber of Commerce Work Ethic Certification program is a partnership between our students and our business community to build a better workforce of tomorrow.

The conversation for a Work Ethic Diploma was brought to Meade County High School and the Meade County Area Chamber of Commerce in 2015 as a way to bring the business community closer to students. It was viewed as a way to teach the professional skills necessary to be successful employees upon graduation. With the input of area educators, business leaders, and post-secondary representatives, standards were developed to implement a Work Ethic Certification program. The program saw success until the business climate changed in 2020. It was then determined that the workforce needs more innovation and the programming needed to be updated.

The new Work Ethic program focuses on two items. 1. Producing the best student candidates for area employers and 2. our business community pledging to #hireworkethic!

For our business community, the Work Ethic Program is designed to:

• Supply Meade County and regional employers with skilled workers
• Be a filter for hiring and selecting candidates that have demonstrated knowledge, skills, abilities, and commitment to work.
• Reinforce the value of positive, professional, and ethical employment skills geared toward successful employment
• Recognize a common, identifiable, metric of work habits

For our students, Meade County High School’s Work Ethic Diploma certification standards require 4 out of the 5:

• Attendance
• Office Referrals
• Pathway Teacher/Counselor recommendation
• School Involvement and/or Community Service
• College Ready Benchmarks or Career Ready Benchmarks

To be a Work Ethic employer your company would have to participate by following these guidelines:

• Displaying the We Hire Work Ethic decal
• Agree that if a student has a Work Ethic Diploma listed in their resume or application, they are granted an interview as long as they meet job qualifications for the open position.
• Agree to participate in mock interviews for students to complete their diploma requirements. (these can be done in person or via Zoom)
• Get priority placement for any Job Fair/Career Day field trips.
• Provide the Meade County Area Chamber of Commerce with hiring statistics for the number of Work Ethic students hired.
• Businesses will be recognized at MCHS’ breakfast for graduating seniors.
• Businesses will be listed on Meade County Area Chamber of Commerce’s website regarding Work Ethic employers/endorsing organizations.

Work Ethic students will begin the program in their Junior year and start becoming Work Ethic Ready. They will continue this program until their senior year to achieve their Work Ethic Certification and Work Ethic Diploma. The Work Ethic program also comes with:

• Priority Co-Op Placement
• Possible Job Interviews
• Professional Skills Development
• Work-Based Learning during school
• Work-Based Learning after school
• Ability to apply for the annual Meade County Area Chamber of Commerce $1,000 scholarship

To become a Work Ethic employer please contact Annie Hamilton at director@meadekychamber.org and if you are a student interested in becoming Work Ethic certified please contact Nick Sutherland at nicholas.sutherland@meade.kyschools.us or Kyle Malloy at kyle.malloy@meade.kyschools.us.