The National Career Readiness Certificate West Michigan Strategic Alliance Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Initiative Funded by the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor The National Career Readiness Certificate (Powered by WorkKeys®) Greg Northrup, President, West Michigan Strategic Alliance www.wm-alliance.org, 616.356.6060 Phil Rios, Project Manager, WIRED West Michigan, www.wiredwestmi.org, 616.331.6968 The ACT National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) Presentation, Revised: January 15, 2008 Bill Guest, WorkKeys Innovation Champion, 616.430.0828, bill.guest@metricsreporting.com Rachael Jungblut, WorkKeys Program Manager, GRCC, 616.234.3623, rjungblu@grcc.edu Liz Stegman, Program Administrator, 616.234.3471, lstegman@grcc.edu

The NCRC Value Equation Need – Definition of “qualified candidate” for 21st Century work. Approach – Use the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate. Benefits - The NCRC is proven to be aligned to employer needs and proven to be valid, reliable, and cost effective. Competitive position – Job alignment tools & DOL ETA approved tests.

West Michigan

WMSA Region Allegan Barry Ionia Kent Muskegon Newaygo Ottawa

M-MIT Region Lapeer Livingston Bay Midland Clinton Saginaw Eaton Sanilac Shiawasee Tuscola Bay Clinton Eaton Genesee Huron Ingham

What is our common language? Employers say “New hires need more math.” Educators ask “How much more?” Employers say “We need better reading skills.” Educators ask “How much better?” We all know these can be endless discussions. This communication problem extends throughout the entire Workforce Development System.

Why a Career Readiness Certificate? We need a trusted common language. What do we mean by Qualified Candidates? New hires Promotions and internal moves Career development programs Occupational training Job specific training How do we measure qualifications?

WorkKeys is a measurement tool. WorkKeys quantifies skills in the following categories: Applied Mathematics Applied Technology Business Writing Listening Locating Information Observation Reading for Information Teamwork Writing

The WorkKeys Measurement System Assess job requirements - Assess individual skill levels - Train to eliminate gaps

Career Readiness Certificate in Context Job Specific Training Occupational Training Reading for Information Applied Mathematics Locating Information WorkKeys Measures Foundational Skills

The Career Readiness Certificate and Jobs WorkKeys Skill Levels: Bronze Silver Gold Reading for Information 3 4 5 Applied Mathematics 3 4 5 Locating Information 3 4 5 Job Readiness* 30% 65% 90% * Job Readiness indicates the % of jobs in the occupational database that holders of these certificates are qualified to apply for. The CRC is a credential.

Reading for Information MVC What Every Worker Must Know Reading for Information Applied Mathematics Locating Information

RI 3 Simple clear text

RI 4 Policies & procedures

RI 5 Details & jargon

AM 3 Cash register math

AM 4 Calculate an average

AM 5 Lowest phone bill

LI 3 Read a gauge

LI 4 Read a laundry slip

LI 5 Read bar graph

The NCRC WorkKeys Core Assessments Harder than it looks: Timed Proctored Many experience test anxiety

A Common Skills Currency The headline font is Tahoma Bold 32pt. The body copy is Arial 14pt. with line spacing of 1.5

How do we get every employer to use the same target?

“Employers work to make things: predictable, uniform, and certain “Employers work to make things: predictable, uniform, and certain. Predictability, uniformity, and certainty are universal goals of executives. The NCRC does this for the hiring process.” Mac MacIlroy, President MMA

West Michigan

How do we improve our workforce? Assess foundational skills Use KeyTrain software Provide learning coaches for support Use practice tests in KeyTrain Issue Career Readiness Certificates

Career Readiness Certificate Steps Goals The Learner’s Perspective Steps to Success Job Specific Training Occupational Training Locating Information Applied Mathematics Reading for Information

Michigan Merit Examination (MME) Summary Table * The new Michigan Merit Examination will be utilized in all Michigan Schools beginning the Spring of 2007

Education and Training Pay Unemployment Rate in 2003 Median Weekly Earnings in 2003 2.9% $1,064 Master Degree Bachelor Degree Associate Degree Some College High School Diploma Some High School NOTES: Unemployment and earnings for workers 25 and older, by educational attainment; earnings for full-time wage and salary workers Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 3.3% $900 4.0% $672 5.2% $622 5.5% $554 8.8% $396

DRAFT Combined Score Qty. of Profiles Notes: $23,000 at “9” and $50,000 at “15” results in a gain of $4500 per point. Data is based on RI, AM, and LI scores from the ACT Occupational Database (with 5 or more Profiles) and Median income data from the O*NET. Example: 3, 3, 3 = 9; 5, 5, 5 = 15; etc.

Example Occupations for CRC Holders B R O N Z E S I L V E R G O L D

16% None, 17% Bronze, 43% Silver, 24% Gold Today we live in a world of networked automation. We need technicians capable of running it. Unskilled work with hands Skilled head & hands “technicians” Professionals head 16% None, 17% Bronze, 43% Silver, 24% Gold

Transitional Workforce Supply Demand Emerging Workforce (K-12 and Colleges) Transitional Workforce (MWAs and Agencies) Employers (Chambers & EAs) Incumbent Workforce (Employers)

Employer Demand – Market Channel Partners High Schools (K-12 System) Colleges and Universities Michigan Works Agencies (MWAs) Private Employment Agencies Chambers of Commerce Economic Development Agencies Employers Associations Literacy and Adult Education Organizations State Agencies and Partners National Agencies and Partners

Employer Letter of Commitment Basic Commitments: □ We will ask job applicants “Do you have a Career Readiness Certificate?” □ We will recognize the Career Readiness Certificate in hiring, promotion, and employee development practices for selected positions. □ We give WIRED West Michigan permission to use our name in public awareness efforts to promote the Career Readiness Certificate. Extraordinary commitments: □ We will include Career Readiness Certificate preparation programs in our tuition refund plan and/or provide assistance and an incentive for our employees. □ We will provide special treatment for individuals with Career Readiness Certificates, such as, taking five minutes to warmly greet them when they fill out an application. □ We will provide financial support for a promotion campaign, such as, a billboard or advertisement. □ We will promote this program with our supply chain and recognize those suppliers that make this commitment to employee development. □ We will test and certify ______ % employees. We employ _______ employees. □ We will track and report data for purposes of statistical summaries for our region. □ We will join and utilize the ACT Job and Talent Bank.

West Michigan Long-term Goals (2007-2012) 1. Gain and document 500 employer commitments with a signed Letter of Commitment (LOC) by December 2008. 2. Gain commitment of all high schools in West Michigan to add Locating Information to the MME and offer ACT National Career Readiness Certificates to all students. This is 10,000 to 15,000 certificates per year. 3. Gain commitment of our six regional Michigan Works! agencies to utilize WorkKeys and the Career Readiness Certificate as a means of defining “qualified applicants” for all job placements in West Michigan. 4. Issue 50,000 Career Readiness Certificates to incumbent and displaced workers by 2012. 5. Participate in and support the state-wide movement led by the Michigan Career Readiness Certificate Advocates (MiCRCA).

The NCRC Value Equation We need a common definition for “qualified candidate,” someone ready for work in the 21st Century (brains vs. brawn). We have a shortage of skilled workers and a surplus of unskilled workers. We need to “skill up” our workforce to provide the quality of workers employers need. Our approach is to use the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate as the cornerstone of our regional definition of a qualified candidate. Employers drive demand, schools & workforce agencies train workers. The benefits to this approach are that the NCRC is a based on WorkKeys a product of ACT proven to be aligned to employer needs and proven to be valid, reliable, and cost effective. Reading, math, and locating information are the top skills needed in 85% of jobs. The ACT NCRC is superior to competitive approaches and alternatives because it is the only solution that: 1) provides tools to measure the needs of specific jobs, AND, 2) is approved for government agencies as a valid and reliable skills assessment (employer-gov. intersection).

“We” vs. “They” Questions & Discussion www.michigancrc.org

Career Readiness Certificate & WorkKeys Partners Michigan: www.michigancrc.org ACT National: www.careerreadinesscertificate.org CRC Consortium: www.crcconsortium.org ACT WorkKeys, www.act.org/workkeys Steve Anderson, 563.391.3742, steve.anderson@act.org John Nelson, 319.321.9705, john.nelson@act.org KeyTrain, www.keytrain.com Rick Harris, 888.480.4883, rick@keytrain.com Justin Saylor, 877.842.6205, justin.saylor@keytrain.com The Council for Adult & Experiential Learning (CAEL), www.cael.org Pam Tate, President, 312.499.2680, ptate@cael.org Joel Simon, Consultant, 312.499.2678, jsimon@cael.org