preparing students for the national career readiness certificate
Post on 21-Dec-2015
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Preparing students for the National Career Readiness Certificate
What employers want
• Employers tell us that a high school diploma, even a college degree, is not enough anymore to insure work readiness
• Employers want workers who can read, apply math and locate information
Rustler Inc. CMR business ed student
What we’ve done
• Working with the Great Falls Workforce Initiative for the past two years the Great Falls Public Schools has moved forward on a pilot project on WorkKeys
• WorkKeys is a battery of tests assessing the proficiencies of students in those three areas: applied math, reading for information and locating information
National Career Readiness Certificate• The ultimate goal is a National Career Ready
Certificate• It is a national registry used in 45 states to
certify that a worker has proficiencies for specific jobs outlined by employers
How students earn certificates• The Great Falls Public Schools’ pilot project
has been extended this year to 200 CMR Business Ed “Rustler Inc.” students. Last year 160 GFHS and Paris students earned certificates
• The students are prepared for WorkKeys by a curriculum called Key Train, an ACT product
The pre-testing
• Students pre-test in Key Train and are given a score of 1-7 in the three categories
• Teachers prompt the students on their career choices. For example, a registered nurse would need a score of 5 on reading, a 6 on applied math and a 5 on locating information. The students interested in nursing with a score of 3s in those areas would use the curriculum to raise their scores
WorkKeys test• Teachers select a test date when they feel
students have progressed sufficiently to take WorkKeys
• Each of the tests is online and is 55 minutes, with 10 minute breaks
• We have our scores within 24 hours
First results• Our first tests were administered Jan. 13-14 at Great Falls High School• Students are ranked on a 1-7 basis on the tests with 7 being the
highest.• To attain a certificate a student needed at least “3” on all three tests
for a “bronze” certificate, “4s” for a “silver” certificate, “5s” for a “gold” certificate, and “6s” for a platinum.
• To our amazement, the first 80 who tested all earned one of the four WorkKeys certificates
• Final tallies on our first WorkKeys run: 2 Platinum, 29 Gold, 43 Silver and 6 Bronze.
• In April at Paris: 48 students tested: 6 Gold, 22 Silver, 14 Bronze• In May, 38 more GFHS students tested: 9 Gold, 27 Silver, 2 Bronze. • Grand Total: 160 certificates: 2 Platinum, 44 Gold, 94 Silver, 20
Bronze• Tests have been scheduled Jan. 4 and 5, 2012
What the results mean
The certificate is awarded at four levels:• Platinum: Skills for 99% of the jobs in ACT’s database of occupational
profiles—the largest of its kind.• Gold: Skills for 90% of the jobs in the ACT database• Silver: Skills for 65% of the jobs in the ACT database• Bronze: Skills for 35% of the jobs in the ACT database
Total Registered Certificates Nationally last updated October 25, 2010• Platinum Certificates: 3,171• Gold Certificates: 133,518• Silver Certificates:370,529• Bronze Certificates:184,696• Total Certificates: 691,914
The certificate’s value
• Our job now is to enhance the certificate’s value
• Obviously, it has value in the 45 states where it is recognized
• Immediately, we’re educating our local employers in the value of recognizing the National Career Readiness Certificate
• Immediately, the students who have them possess a credential that is a resume builder
A first step
• The Great Falls Public School District has taken the lead in recognizing the National Career Readiness Certificate
• As the community’s third largest employer (after Malmstrom and Benefis) it hires regularly
• The District’s Human Resources Office asks for the certificate at levels appropriate to specific jobs. Recently it posted a job and indicated a preference for a silver certificate
What’s next?
• Intensively educating local business and industry about the certificate and encourage its use in the hiring process
• As a first step we’re asking employers to be familiar with the certificate and recognize it when it is presented to you
• Some ways to recognize it would be to offer certificate holders an automatic job interview or pay differential as a recognition that the holder comes to you verifiably prepared in the three tested areas
• The school district is working with the Great Falls Job Service and has discussed the possibilities of Job Service coordinating testing workers and offering the Key Train curriculum
Teaching “soft” skills
• At all three schools this year we’ve added the “Career Skills” part of the Key Train curriculum that measures “soft” skills such as work habits, communication skills, workplace effectiveness, and business etiquette
• WorkKeys testing is being offered on a voluntary basis to students at GFHS and Paris
• There is some discussion about WorkKeys as a critical requirement for diplomas for “At Risk” and Adult Ed students
How you can help• Recognize the Career Readiness Certificate in your
employment practices, particularly as they involve GFPS graduates
• Spread the word about this credential• Attend the WorkKeys seminars and send your human
resource hiring officers and other managers• Assist us in underwriting the cost of software and
certificates• Lobby Supt. of Public Instruction Denise Juneau to include
a WorkKeys option in her proposal that all students take ACT college entrance tests
Signing onEmployers are asked to sign a “Letter of Commitment” that asks employers to recommend the National Career Readiness Certificate in hiring and/or promotion practices for one or more positions in its organization
So far the following employers have agreed to do so:• Benefis• Great Falls Clinic• Great Falls Tribune• N.E.W.• Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce• Great Falls Public Schools• City of Great Falls• University of Great Falls
This represents more than 5,500 jobs in Great Falls
Your contact
Tom KotynskiCareer and Technical Education
Great Falls Public Schools1100 4th St. S.
Great Falls, MT 59403(406) 268 6024
Our first “Platinum”
Tom Frasz of Great Falls High shows off his certificate
Some Web links
• http://www.keytrain.com/KeyTrain_Solutions.htm (The Key Train Curriculum)
• http://www.act.org/workkeys/index.html (WorkKeys home page)
• http://www.act.org/workkeys/skillsearch.html (Search for jobs by skill levels)
• http://www.act.org/certificate/ (National Career Readiness Certificate home page)
• http://www.act.org/workforce/case/elgin.html (A case study on how the community of Elgin, IL is using WorkKeys/National Career Readiness Certificate for workforce development and academic attainment