Florida Ready to Work Annual FACTE Conference July 2008

Florida Ready to Work  New employee credentialing program that builds, tests and scores job skills and work habits  Focus on core communication and problem-solving skills required by 85 percent of all jobs today - Applied Math – Workplace math ie: calculating percentage discounts and markups - Reading for Information – Using memos, letters, directions, signs, notices, bulletins, policies and regulations - Locating Information – Working with charts, graphs, tables, forms, flowcharts, diagrams, floor plans, maps and instrument gauges

Florida Ready to Work  Based on 15,000+ job profiles across the country  Skills required for entry-level to professional, across industries  Optional Work Habits “soft skills” certification – attitude, initiative, teamwork, time management and other customer service skills all employers need

Florida Ready to Work  Voluntary, complements other degrees/credentials  All Florida residents, implementation partners, employers – free!  Primary program components: - Courseware - Assessments - Credential - Job Profiling

Courseware  Measure current skills, identify skill gaps and build skills  All 9 curriculum subject areas plus Work Habits – self-directed, unlimited, free!  Online access from any computer, anytime, anywhere  Tools to monitor student/jobseeker/employee progress  Spanish translation and text-to-speech features  Alignments to Sunshine State Standards, FCAT, TABE, GED and others  Relevancy, skills for the work world

Assessments  Different than other Assessments, measure ability to apply skills on the job - Applied Math - Reading for Information - Locating Information  Criterion referenced  Proctored  Approximately 1 hour each  Developed by ACT

Credential  How to earn the Credential 1)Enroll with a participating Assessment Center 2)Take the online Placement Tests 3)Use the online Courseware, as needed 4)Complete Work Habits, minimum post-test score of 4 5) Take all three required Assessments, minimum score of 3 6)Get the Credential  Credential levels Bronze – Minimum score of 3, ready for 30% of jobs Silver – Minimum score of 4, ready for 65% of jobs Gold – Minimum score of 5, ready for 90% of jobs  Portable, 30+ states with similar programs

Job Profiling  EEOC compliant hiring, promotion and training tool  Process to identify the core skills and skill levels required for a specific job  Conducted by trained Florida job profilers - Review company background and job history - Observe workers on the job - Meet/interview incumbent workers and supervisors  Results in a customized report aligning core job tasks with the skills and skill levels required for job success  Fee-based service, $2,500 per profile

Program Progress The Numbers  500+ Assessment Center locations registered  73,000+ Jobseekers enrolled  32,000+ Assessments delivered  7,300+ New Credentials issued, 9,000+ Grandfathered  125+ Employer Partners CUMULATIVE, APRIL 2007 – JUNE 2008

Program Progress The Numbers  Momentum building, participation growing every day New Assessment Center locations registered per month - 5,000+ New Jobseekers enrolled per month - 5,000+ Courseware Hours per month  May 2008 – Record breaking results - 10,000+ Assessments – Triple any prior month - 2,400+ Credentials – Double any prior month AVERAGE PER MONTH

Program Progress Credential Leaders  School Districts 250+ Credentials Each - Okaloosa County (9 schools) - Brevard County (14 schools) - Citrus County (5 schools) - Volusia County (13 schools) - Lee County (15 schools) - Flagler County (3 schools) CUMULATIVE, MAY 2008

Program Progress Credential Leaders  Regional Workforce Boards 250+ Credentials Each - Workforce Plus (Gadsden, Leon, Wakulla) - Workforce Alliance (Palm Beach) - WorkSource (Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns) - Gulf Coast Workforce (Bay, Franklin, Gulf) CUMULATIVE, MAY 2008

Program Progress Credential Leaders  Stand Out Schools 100+ Credentials Each - Crestview High School (Okaloosa County) - Matanzas High School (Flagler County) - Mariner High School (Lee County) - Baker County High School (Baker County) - Citrus High School (Citrus County) - Seabreeze High School (Volusia County) - Baker High School (Okaloosa County) - Lecanto High School (Citrus County) CUMULATIVE, MAY 2008

Legislation  Continued support – Governor, House and Senate  CAPE statute, “each career and professional academy must provide opportunities for students to obtain the Florida Ready to Work Certification” ( (4)(j) F.S.)  Florida Ready to Work specifically defined, “codified” in Florida law (CS/SB 1908, Lines )

Legislation  Each standard high school diploma shall include a designation reflecting the Florida Ready to Work Credential, as applicable, effective school year (CS/SB 1908, Lines ) - Department of Education to distribute a Technical Assistance Paper for school districts by early August Florida Ready to Work team to work with school districts to verify/provide data

Funding  Fully funded by Florida Legislature - Courseware – Unlimited access to all 9 curriculum areas plus Work Habits - Assessments – Applied Math, Locating Information, Reading for Information - Credential – Printed/mailed to jobseeker or Assessment Center - Public Awareness Campaign – Materials, advertising, events and more - Business Outreach – Up to four pilot projects led by Workforce Florida, Inc.  “Recurring” funds, signaling commitment to program

Funding  $10 stipend per Assessment (AM, LI, RI) - Total $30 per student/jobseeker, not required to “pass” - If does not pass, stipend paid for one re-take, maximum $60 - Strongly recommended student/jobseeker takes Placement Test and scores a minimum of 3 and/or completes Courseware at Level 3 before taking corresponding Assessment - No sequence, no time requirement to take Assessments - All non-employer partners eligible - Organization decides how to use funds

Employer Connection  Gives participating employers a competitive edge - Takes the guesswork out of hiring -Reduces employee turnover -Reduces training time and costs -Builds skills of current workforce -EEOC compliant -Saves time and money, increasing productivity and profitability -It’s free!  Message: Get The Credential. Get The Advantage.

Employer Connection  First Step: Become an Employer Partner RECOGNIZE the Credential when attached to a resume or presented by a potential employee.  Second Step: Use the Program REQUEST the Credential in job orders, announcements and applications. REQUIRE the Credential when hiring or evaluating employees for promotion.

Employer Outreach Update  Launched employer-focused awareness campaign February 2008  Secured support of statewide business organizations - Florida Chamber of Commerce - HR Florida (State affiliate for the Society of Human Resource Management) - Associated Industries of Florida  125+ Employer Partners, list growing every day  Large and small, across industries, across the state  List posted

Marketing  Paid Advertising - Florida Trend - Wall Street Journal (Florida) - National Public Radio (Florida) - Markets with momentum – radio, newspaper  Strategic Partners – s, web content, newsletters  Employer Events/Presentations  Direct mail campaign targeting Florida employers with 50+ employees  Promotional Materials – brochures, posters, videos, displays and more

Ideas and Innovations Okaloosa County School District  Superintendent chief cheerleader and actively involved every step of the way  Hired a dedicated, district level coordinator  Aligning with CHOICE Institutes, starting with students enrolled in the Okaloosa Applied Technology Center (OATC) CHOICE Institutes  Enrolled 800+ students, 9 schools  Presented Credentials at packed graduation ceremony Jeff Scroggins, Director-CHOICE Institutes (850) ,

Ideas and Innovations Putnam County School District  Targeted career academy, career and technology education and GED exit students  Pilot with at-risk students including GED students not on target and seniors with lack of credits or GPA below 2.0  Incorporated Courseware as assignments, extra credit  Looking ahead to fall Refresher training during teacher planning days - Start early with students taking Placement Test first semester - Include scores as part of nine-week/semester average Janet Cauble, Career Specialist-Putnam County School District (386) ,

Ideas and Innovations Volusia County School District  Superintendent provided leadership statewide and locally  Developed a comprehensive, “model” implementation plan  Started with DCT, OJT, career academy internship and a hand-picked pilot group of juniors/seniors moving into the workforce  16 locations – 9 high schools, 5 alternative education programs and “Career Coach”  Trained and assigned coordinators at each location Kristin Bowles-Pierce, Career and Technical Education Specialist-Volusia County Schools (386) x 60180,

Ideas and Innovations Bayside High School (Pinellas County)  Drop-out prevention high school, offers Florida Ready to Work as a “class”  Guidance counselor comes from the corporate world, understands/communicates what employers need  Closely monitors student progress  Applauds student progress – “shout outs,” bulletin boards  Presented Credentials at graduation, those not receiving one have already called to come back over the summer Susan Mathewson, Lead Teacher-Bayside High School (Pinellas County) (239) ,

Ideas and Innovations Sarasota County School District  Support from Superintendent down through organization  Dedicated, district level coordinator with “sales” skills  Presentations to students to introduce the program  Donated student incentives – i-pods, gift cards  Engaging employers to recognize the Credential – 10+  Webpage, newsletter, news releases to build awareness  Creating employment connections for students through chamber of commerce partnership Sharon Albrecht, Program Administrator-Sarasota County School District (941) ,

Ideas and Innovations Brevard County School District  District level leadership team to keep momentum going and to closely monitor results  Introduced in all high schools, starting with DCT, marketing and drop-out prevention students  Documented clear correlation between Courseware use and Assessment scores  Looking ahead to fall Enrolled 11,000+ current sophomores/juniors to hit ground running - Aligning Courseware with DCT and marketing curriculum Julie Sanders, Resource Teacher, Career and Technical Education-Brevard County Schools (321) x 281,

Ideas and Innovations Palm Beach County – Adult Education  Incorporating Florida Ready to Work to meet “career services” grant requirements, making applications stronger  Easy to track student participation and progress  Will help meet job placement performance standards  Different from other career training tools, clients responding to relevancy and ease, clients progressing  Try it, before “buy” it – coordinator used Courseware, took Assessments and earned Credential – now sold! Judy Langelier Department of Adult and Community Education-School District of Palm Beach County (561) ,

Reporting Courseware  Progress Report  Placement Test Report  Full Report  Time Report  Activity Report

Reporting Assessments  Instant Score Report  Test Usage Report  Roster Score Report  Data Export Report

Reporting  Monthly Stipend Report – Actual Month, Mailed With Check - By Assessment Center - By Student/Jobseeker Name - Assessment Type (AM, RI, LI), Date and Score - Total # Assessments Delivered, Total Stipend Amount  Monthly Progress Report – Cumulative, Posted On Portal - By Assessment Center – Rollup By Organization - # Students/Jobseekers Enrolled - # Assessments Delivered (AM, RI, LI) - # Credentials Earned (Gold, Silver, Bronze)  Other reporting needs – tell us!

What’s New Courseware Updates  Turning Off Placement Test Lock July 1, Previously required to complete all 3 core Placement Tests (AM, LI, RI) before accessing Courseware for any of curriculum areas - Now able to immediately access Placement Test and Courseware for any of 9 curriculum areas and Work Habits  Work Habits Courseware Review and Update Review: July-September 2008Update: Spring If interested in participating, contact local Project Coordinator

What’s New Courseware Updates  Upgrading to Adobe Flash Player August Courseware screens will look different, content will not change - Will no longer need to download Authorware and Active X - Flash already on most computers since most websites use it - If do not have Flash, free download (

What’s New New Administrator Tools  Password Look-Up August New tool allowing authorized administrators/proctors to look up student/jobseeker passwords - Primary Contact must grant access to administrators/proctors - Access restricted to associated Assessment Center realm  Updated Administrator Guide August Online and PDF

What’s New Website and Portal Updates  Employer Partner List – Live now - Current list of employers who recognize the Credential - Encourage local employers to sign up!  Assessment Center Map – Live now - Current list of Assessment Center locations, check your listing!  Portal Update – August More user friendly, more resources

What’s New “Free” Implementation Tools  New E-Newsletter – August Program updates, ideas and innovations  New Promotional Materials – August Complete Order Form or contact local Project Coordinator  New Video Downloads – August Employer video testimonials - Student/jobseeker video

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