1 mceeea june 17, 2011

The National Career Readiness Certificate: A Portable Skills Credential for Students and Employers

Cathy McCafferty Smith Know U, LLC

Regional Consultant: Career and Talent Development SystemsWayne, Monroe, and Oakland Counties

National Career Readiness Certificate Advocacy Board Member MCEEA Conference - June 17, 2011

Educator Question

Are we bestpreparing students for life after“school”?

Employers: We know how fast things are changing ???

Business and Education Partners My fellow HR friends in businesses are saying we need:

•Problem solving skills

•Communication skills

•Interpersonal skills

http://www.act.org/workforce/workreadiness.html

http://www.act.org/workforce/workreadiness.html

Reasons why your role is so important! !

In Career Development We always start at “what level am I?”

First, let’s pre-assess our own skills, to really see what this is all about….

Locating Information? Ready?

Then we will look at KeyTrain,WorkKeys tests all about? And the NCRC?

I will be gentle!...smile!

Locating Information Level 3

Now let’s get seriousCan you read and analyze this WorkKeys Level 3 “graphic”


How about this WorkKeys Level 4 chart?


Is this WorkKeys Level 5 chart a little more challenging?


Examples can be found at:

http://www.act.org/workkeys/assess/locate/sample6.html

Wow, Did you struggle with this WorkKeys Level 6 graph?



How WorkKeys “Works”

Profile5

34

Initial Task List

Task Analysis• Rate for Importance• Rate for Time Spent• Compute Criticality

Skill Analysis• Discuss skill levels• Consensus process

• Determine skill level

Skill Ranking• Order of criticality

SummaryReport3

More than 17,000 unique job titles have been profiled.

NCRC skills are not basic skills….. they are “foundational” for the specific career

AppliedMathematics

123456789

Reading forInformation

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LocatingInformation

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AppliedTechnology

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Writing

123456789

Listening

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Observation

123456789

Teamwork

Skills LevelsCRITERION REFERENCED ASSESSMENTS

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Bus.Writing

LIGHTER SHADED SCORES = 85% of 17,000 Profiled Jobs

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Each profiled job has a skill level assigned for each WorkKeys test (pass out samples – share)

Applied Math

Locating Info

Reading for Info

Think “Olympics +” NCRC Certificate Levels: based on the three WorkKeys test scores

• Bronze - minimum of score of all 3’s OR any combinations of one 3 and two other higher level scores

• Silver - minimum of score of all 4’s OR any combinations of one 4 with two other higher level scores

• Gold minimum of score of all 5’s OR any combinations of one 5 with two other higher level scores

• Platinum- minimum of score of all 6’s OR any combinations of one 6 with two other higher level scores

Example: 3, 3, 3, = a Bronze certificate, but so does a 3, 4, 5 !

NCRC Certificates Four Levels

Core employability skills for approximately 35% of jobs (3’s or a 3 & higher combinations)



Core employability skills for approximately

99% of jobs (6’s or a 6 & higher combinations)

Bronze 35%, Silver 65%, Gold 90%, Platinum 99%

NCRC - Certificate Levels – Employability

Higher Skills = Higher Pay

National Career Readiness Certificate LevelsAnd Median Annual Salaries (U.S.)

Gold Occupations Silver Occupations Bronze Occupations

$62,987 $38,022 $27,340

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics, ACT data

Middle Skills Jobs on the Rise

A slippery slope! The 21st century talent development

message is different…

...it is not a “right” or a “wrong” level of skills or degree….

it is rather what skill level does the individual profiled job require?

Example Occupations/ Scores for NCRC Holders

AM= Applied Math…….LI = Locating Information……RI = Reading for Information

The Workforce Development Perspective: Adults, seeking retraining in your schools may have these WorkKeys scores…..

The Dept of Energy and Labor Economic Growth issued a state policy in 2009 mandating the NCRC statewide in MI Works programs (No Worker Left Behind)

“The NCRC is designed to complement other traditional credentials such as a high school diploma, community college degree, or college degree”

“While educational credentials mark the fulfillment of classroom learning experiences…The NCRC confirms the individual competence in a specific set of workplace skills that employers have told us they need.” Source : Michigan Dept of Energy Labor Economic Growth, 2009 FAQ- MI Works

• We in Michigan schools already have experience with these three WorkKeys assessments! Also since 2009!

• Yes, these are the same assessments in our required Michigan Merit Exam for11th grade students !

• Applied Math• Reading for Information • Locating Information

What does that mean to you? ….your 2011-2012 Sophomore's, if in a high school in

Michigan in 2009, may already have their WorkKeys scores

What we are doing in high schools..

But Wait!!!! The Problem: IF we test them (WorkKeys) without teaching them, how will we build a sustainable, skilled workforce?

Here’s what we wrestled with statewide:

Can we afford to test them and let them stay unskilled?

• Do we need to think proactive “skill acceleration” and not just reactive “remediation”?

• Are we just adding another tool to our toolbox or are we looking at systemic change?

• If we “do what we have always done”, will we get a different result?

• A “key” answer (pardon the pun) …………………………

Wait! What about skills gaps?

• By comparing the job and individual profiles, the skills gap can be identified …But what can we do about the gaps?

3

4

3

4

3

4

5 5

6

3

4

AppliedMathematics

3

4

Reading forInformation

3

4

LocatingInformation

5

Skills Gap

Skills Gap

Individual

Job Profile

Communication Skills

Listening

Reading for Information *

Writing

Business Writing

Problem – Solving Skills

Applied Mathematics *

Applied Technology

Locating Information *

Observation

Interpersonal Skills

Teamwork

Employers have requested these “categorical” skills

Helps teach these skills

Communication Skills• Listening

• Reading for Information

• Writing

• Business Writing

Problem Solving Skills• Applied Mathematics

• Applied Technology

• Locating Information

Interpersonal skills• Teamwork

Communication Skills• Listening

• Reading for Information

• Writing

• Business Writing

Problem Solving Skills• Applied Mathematics

• Applied Technology

• Locating Information

Interpersonal skills• Teamwork

CoursesTests

Hey these match!!!!!…

A solutions to skilling up!

• KeyTrain is the complete interactive, engaging online learning system designed for improving WorkKeys foundational workplace skill level scores.

• KeyTrain - Career Skills (add on) teaches employability skills, getting ready for the internship or job

• Available 24/7 at home, school, library (where ever the internet is accessible) …

• Has already been provided for many high schools and in community colleges statewide

• KeyTrain can be used for proactively for skill acceleration! We have banished the “R” word!

(look … a “pair of dime” we shifted!)

A paradigm shift …24/7 online learning - KeyTrain

http://www.keytrain.com

http://www.keytrain.com/

KeyTrain: Customizing Learning Pre-assess skills in chosen career context

Relevance !!!!!!!

KeyTrain has a feature inside to search for careers based onStudent/Worker score levels! Relevant Target

Students/ Workers see how their scores match (or don’t) to their identified career choices …and plan for what’s next

It also provides:

• A reality check (do I have the skills or can I build them?) “accountability”

• Creates focused dialogue planning with their advisor/ teacher

• Helps link/ show the relevance of their skill development needs (skill acceleration)

How can you get involved?

• Check with your local community college to see if they are using KeyTrain and/or WorkKeys….or are you in the audience?

• How about your local ISD? ( k-12) • Your local workforce development? (MI Works Agency) • Ask your students if they took the WorkKeys test in high

school? ….or at a Workforce agency

Check the following websites for more info:• http://www.keytrain.com• http://www.act.org/workforce/workreadiness.html• http://www.act.org/workkeys/• http://www.ncrcadvocates.org/SitePages/Home.aspx

New Skills Require New Thinking

“We can’t solve problems by using thesame kind of thinking we used whenwe created them…”…..Albert Einstein

Any Questions about WorkKeys, KeyTrain or the National Career Readiness Certificate ???

For more info contact:

Cathy McCafferty-Smith MA, LPC, GCDFI Know U, L.L.C.Career, Talent, and Leadership Development

Phone 248-417-1987 Email - [email protected]

Linked in - http://www.linkedin.com/in/cls817

National Career Readiness Certificate Advocacy - Board Member