The Career Readiness Certificate – An Idea Whose Time Has Come (cont.)

A common language was needed for such a credential, so it was decided to base the Career Readiness Certificate on WorkKeys assessments (a product of ACT, formerly American College Testing), which over the last 10 years has become a widely accepted tool for skills definition among employers, educators, trainers and potential and incumbent employees.

The WorkKeys system was developed as a measure of workplace literacy and as a predictor of workplace success. It allows for identifying skills needed on the job, assessing the skills of employees, and indicating specific skills training to close gaps between the two.

The power of the WorkKeys system lies in its:

1. Objectivity. Skill levels mean the same everywhere, unlike school grades.
2. Simplicity. Skill levels are described in terms of single-digit numbers whose meanings are clearly defined.
3. Compliance with federal law (ADA, EEOC).
4. Legal defensibility.

The Career Readiness Certificate includes three WorkKeys assessments – Applied Mathematics, Locating Information and Reading for Information – and is awarded at three levels: Bronze (level 3 on each assessment), Silver (level 4) and Gold (level 5). The definitions for these certificate levels are shown on the back of the credential so that an employer can see exactly what skills a person possesses.

The onus on getting the Career Readiness Certificate usually falls on the potential employee. The cost can be paid with existing education or workforce development funds, or by an individual or an employer. Training to raise skills levels is done on-line (through private vendors, one-stop centers or community colleges) and is quick and inexpensive. The training is effective, not superficial; most people can raise their skills one level in about 20 hours. Costs associated to administer and score the tests and issue a Career Readiness Certificate vary from state to state, but typically are less than $100 per individual. Five states are now issuing the Career Readiness Certificate; it is expected that at least three more will do so by the end of 2005 (view graphic). Pilot projects are underway in several states, and in some states that haven’t officially deployed the program, certificates are being awarded and used at the local level.

While each state is deploying the credential in its own way – from the governor’s office, from the community college system, or from the state workforce development board – there is consistency across the Consortium in terms of the three assessments used and the definition of skills levels. The goal of the Consortium is essentially to encourage this consistency among states so that the Career Readiness Certificate becomes a national portable credential.

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