INTRODUCTION TO
ACT WORKKEYS
September 25, 2013
Dr. Judith Crocker, Director
Workforce and Talent Development
Quality
Promote Certifications:
Partner with the National Association of Manufacturers,
Manufacturing Institute to support the NAM Endorsed Skills
Certification System
The NAM-Endorsed Skills Certification System is a
system of stackable credentials that can apply to all
sectors in the manufacturing industry. These nationally
portable, industry-recognized credentials validate the
skills and competencies needed to be productive and
successful in entry-level positions in any manufacturing
environment.
Quality
Industry certifications
• Validate skill level – what workers
know and are able to do
• Take some of the guesswork out of
hiring and promotion,
• Reduce costs and minimize risk
• Allow focus on interview & resume
SME’S TECHNOLOGIST AND ENGINEER
AWS
NIMS
Advanced Manufacturing Competency Model
Career Paths – Life Long Learning
High Quality Middle Class Jobs
Occupation-Specific
Certifications
Entry Level Industry
Certifications
Ready for Work, Ready for College
WORKKEYS
• Criterion referenced test items
• Validated with a wide range of individuals across the
country
• Tests the application of the academic skills in the
workplace
• Provide a foundation on which to build both soft and
technical skills
National Career Readiness Certificate
Certify Your Workforce
The National Career Readiness Certificate,
issued by ACT, is a portable, evidence-based
credential that certifies essential skills
needed for workplace success.
National Career Readiness Certificate
Certify Your Workforce
™
The NCRC is a credential that is:
• Used to document essential
skills linked to workplace
success
•
Evidence-based
•
Industry-recognized
•
Portable
•
Contextualized for the workplace
•
Awarded at four levels: Bronze,
Silver, Gold, Platinum
National Career Readiness Certificate
Certify Your Workforce
The NCRC is a credential that is used across all sectors of the economy and
certifies the following cognitive skills:
 Problem solving
 Critical thinking
 Reading and using work-related text
 Applying information from workplace documents to solve problems
 Applying mathematical reasoning to work-related problems
 Setting up and performing work-related mathematical calculations
 Locating, synthesizing, and applying information that is presented graphically
 Comparing, summarizing, and analyzing information presented in multiple, related graphics
Assessments
Assess Your Workforce
WorkKeys assessments measure “real world”
workplace skills critical to job success. These
skills are valuable for any occupation—skilled
or professional—at any level of education, and
in any industry.
Approximately 15 million WorkKeys
assessments have been administered.
National Career Readiness Certificate
Certify Your Workforce
Individuals can earn the NCRC by taking three
WorkKeys assessments:
®
•
Applied Mathematics
•
Locating Information
•
Reading for Information
77% of profiled jobs utilize all of these skills*
*Numbers are based on analysis of 5,618 jobs profiled from 2006 to 2010 in the ACT JobPro database.
National Career Readiness Certificate
Certify Your Workforce
WorkKeys Skills for Jobs Profiled
National
Career
Readiness
Certificate
*Numbers are based on analysis of 5,618 jobs profiled from 2006 to 2010 in the ACT JobPro database.
NCRC LEVELS
 Bronze: indicates a worker has scored at least a Level 3 on each of
the three assessments and has the necessary skills for 35 percent
of the jobs listed in the database.
 Silver: indicates a worker has scored at least a Level 4 on each of
the three assessments and has the necessary skills for 65 percent
of the jobs listed in the database.
 Gold: indicates a worker has scored at least a Level 5 on each of
the three assessments and has the necessary skills for 90 percent
of the jobs in the database.
 Platinum: indicates a worker has scored at least a Level 6 on each
of the three assessments and has the necessary skills for 99
percent of the jobs in the database.
National Career Readiness Certificate
Certify Your Workforce
Percentage of U.S. Examinees Earning The Certificate
1%
Source: ACT JobPro Data 2006-2010
18%
47%
21%
National Career Readiness Certificate
Certify Your Workforce
Total NCRC QualifiersTotal
by Year
and Level
NCRC Qualifiers
by Year and Certificate Level
300,000
250,000
Bronze
200,000
Silver
Gold
Platinum
150,000
100,000
50,000
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Source: Internet and Paper-and-Pencil based WorkKeys Assessments from 2006-2010.
Notes: NCRC Qualifiers include examinees that took the RI, AM, and LI WorkKeys assessments and
qualified for an NCRC.
Training & Curriculum
Develop Your Workforce
By comparing the job profile and individual
assessment results, skills gaps can be identified
6
5
Skills Gap
5
Skills Gap
5
4
4
4
4
4
4
Individual
Results
3
3
3
3
3
3
Job Profile
Applied
Mathematics
Reading for
Information
Locating
Information
Job Analysis
Define Your Workforce
ACT’s JobPro™ database – which continues to grow – currently includes skill data for:
National Career Readiness Certificate
Benefits
Career Seekers
Provide employers with verifiable evidence of their job skills
Employers
Screen applicants and find the right workers for jobs at all levels, as well as make
decisions about training and advancement of current employees
Educators
Ensure that their students are ready for meaningful careers
Industry Associations
Adopt the NCRC as the foundational credential of their skills certification systems
Workforce Developers
Help to supply employers with workers possessing the necessary skills to meet
demand
Economic Developers
Inform businesses’ decisions about where to locate or expand by demonstrating the
skill level of regional labor sheds
Employers have reported
•
Reduced recruitment costs
•
Improved retention
•
Reduced OJT time
•
Overall increased productivity
•
More quickly able to contribute to the
organization
WorkKeys Process Helps Individuals
• Builds confidence
• Allows them to “brush up” on skills
• Prepares them for challenges and situations they
may face at work
• Enhances their ability to participate in training
IMPLEMENTING WORKKEYS
•
Job Analysis
What skills and skill levels are needed in the
job/position
•
Assessment
What work skills and skill levels does the individual
currently have?
•
Training
How can skill gaps be addressed in training
programs?
Reading for Information
Applied Math
Locating Information
Test items and explanations on the website:
http://www.act.org/workkeys/assess/sample.html
WORK READY COMMUNITIES
Ohio Stats:http://workreadycommunities.org/OH