Career and College Readiness

1. Career and College Readiness

2. Overview ACT WorkKeys is a job skills assessment system that helps employers select, hire, train, develop, and retain a high-performance workforce. This series of tests measures foundational and soft skills and offers specialized assessments to target institutional needs. There are three components to WorkKeys, which can be used independently but are designed to be use in concert. They are: Skills Assessments: WorkKeys assessments measure “ foundational workplace skills” in applied mathematics, applied technology, business writing, listening, locating information, observation, readiness, reading for information, teamwork, and writing. Job Analysis: Determines what types of skills are needed for success in a particular job. Job profiles have been done for entry level jobs through post-secondary. Training: ACT offers a variety of training options As part of ACT's Work Readiness System, ACT WorkKeys has helped millions of people in high schools, colleges, professional associations, businesses, and government agencies build their skills to increase global competitiveness and develop successful career pathways. Successful completion of ACT WorkKeys assessments in Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, and Reading for Information can lead to earning ACT's National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), a portable credential earned by more than 1 million people across the United States.

3. WorkKeys Benefits for Students Enables you to rank above other job applicants who do not have needed skills Shows prospective employers concrete proof of your skills Increases the chances you will be hired after graduation Enables you to see the importance of your courses Improves your success in entry-level and subsequent jobs Determines skill improvement and training needs Improves chances of better entry-level salaries through increased skills WorkKeys Benefits for EDUCATORS Helps identify gaps between student skills and employment needs Align curricula to meet the job skills employers needs Develop career pathways aligned to critical occupations Enable students to see a reason to take coursework seriously Improve students’ success in entry-level and subsequent job Provide students with a structured career pathway Helps ensure the education community graduate enough new talent ACT WorkKeys helps ensure that individuals are ready for work—and for life. WorkKeys Benefits for the COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Encourages businesses to stay in the community Increases the tax base through more profitable business partners Decrease unemployment rates Improve the quality of life for community residents Provide focused education and training needed to meet both individual and organization goals

4. WorkKeys Benefits for Employers Establishes a standard skills metric for selection, performance, and advancement Reduces costs from hiring mis-matches Determines the training workers need for effective job performance, and for skills upgrades Reduces training time and training cost Documents an individuals skills Reduced overtime Reduced Turnovers Increased Productivity Higher Employee Morale

5.  What the WorkKeys Applied Mathematics Test Measures

6.  What the WorkKeys Applied Mathematics Test Measures

7. What The Workkeys Locating Information Test Measures

8. What The Workkeys Locating Information Test Measures

9. What the WorkKeys Reading for Information Test Measures

10. What the WorkKeys Reading for Information Test Measures

12. Understanding WorkKeys Scores Conversion Tables Scale Scores to Levels Reading for Information Scale Score Level 65-72 <3 73-74 3 75-78 4 79-81 5 82-84 6 85-90 7 Applied Mathematics Scale Score Level 65-70 <3 71-74 3 75-77 4 78-81 5 82-86 6 87-90 7 Locating Information Scale Score Level 65-71 <3 72-74 3 75-79 4 80-86 5 87-90 6 Level Scores: Employers use level scores to decide who to hire and promote. Level scores are based on WorkKeys job profiles—a snapshot of the skills needed for a particular job. Scale Scores: Scale scores are used by educators to show growth in skills over time. Scale scores are not used for hiring or promotion decisions..

13. National Career Readiness Certifications Bronze - scores at least a level 3 in each of the three core areas and has the necessary foundational skills for 16 percent of the jobs in the WorkKeysdatabase Silver - scores at least a level 4 in each of the three core areas and has the necessary foundational skills for 67 percent of the jobs in the WorkKeysdatabase Gold - scores at least a level 5 in each of the three core areas and has the necessary foundational skills for 93 percent of the jobs in the WorkKeysdatabase Platinum - scores at least a level 6 in each of the three core areas and has the necessary foundational skills for 99 percent of the jobs in the WorkKeys database

14. WorkKeys in the Public Schools of Hoke County WorkKeys in the North Carolina Public Schools All senior in the public schools of Hoke County are are given the opportunity to take the WorkKeys assessment, the cost of testing these students is paid for by the school systems and the Lumber River Council of Government. Students who complete the four-course Career and Technical Education sequence are administered the WorkKeys examination in the 12th grade. The cost of testing for these students is paid for and monitored through NCDPI .

15. All students enter the workforce eventually—whether they get a job right out of high school, work part-time while continuing their education, or go through extensive postsecondary training. WorkKeys stresses skills development important for virtually every type of employment. In fact, the fastest growing segments of the WorkKeys job analyses are being done for professional, technical, and managerial jobs that require at least a bachelor’s degree. The abilities to learn, listen, communicate, work in teams, and solve problems—all areas addressed by WorkKeys—are important assets for any employee, regardless of career choice. They are also extremely important in today’s higher education. WorkKeys provides a gauge of career readiness and is widely recognized as an industry credential. WorkKeys assessments measure “real world” skills critical to job success. These skills are valuable for any occupation – skilled or professional – at any level of education, and in any industry.

16. Source: www.ACT.org/workkeys www.NationalCareerReadiness.org www.ACTworkreadycommunities North Carolina Career Readiness Certificate North Carolina Department of Public Instruction ACT WorkKeys Skill Reports WorkKeys Secondary Education Guide