ETCOG Wins Achievement Award from National Member Organization for Rural, Set, Go! Workforce Strategy Public Forum Series

East Texas Council of Governments • July 5, 2022

The National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) has awarded the East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG) an Achievement Award for its workforce strategy public forum series partnered with Workforce Solutions East Texas, entitled Rural, Set, Go!


Rural, Set, Go! is an intentional strategy to engage community leaders, business leaders, and community members in candid conversations about the factors influencing their local workforce and economic development needs.


The forums began in 2021 to address some very basic needs for sustainable growth, including increased access to education, workforce, and economic development resources, the challenges of opportunity deserts which are defined as lack of broadband access, lack of basic services such as transportation, child care resources, training and skills development and access to jobs. Approximately 500 attendees joined the 2022 forum series, which took place weekly from March 22 to June 7 in East Texas rural counties.


“Workforce and economic development needs cannot be fully addressed without ensuring our agencies and staff are fully engaged with these less populated counties. Rural, Set, Go! addresses this challenge and will make all of our investments in the workforce more effective. I am so proud of our team at ETCOG, and Workforce Solutions East Texas, for bringing this series to life and enhancing our services in East Texas,” said ETCOG’s Director of Workforce & Economic Development, Doug Shryock.


ETCOG has been a long-time member of NARC, whose member organizations are composed of multiple local governments that work together to serve American communities – large and small, urban and rural. Eleven projects submitted from regional planning agencies across the nation received Achievement Awards.


The Achievement Awards were presented during an awards ceremony held at the recent NARC 56th Annual Conference & Exhibition held in Columbus, Ohio.

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