WAGE™ Workforce Alliance For Growth in the Economy

1. WAGE™ Workforce Alliance For Growth in the Economy

2. WAGE™ is a job readiness training program conducted by the Adult Education Divisionof the Arkansas Department of Career Education.

3. Offered through local Adult Education Programs

4. WAGE is EmployerDriven Supported by local WAGE Advisory Committee

5. WAGE™ is Trademarked

6. Exclusive to Arkansas Adult Education

7. All services provided by Adult Education/WAGE™ Are From Taxpayer Dollars

8. Began in the early 1990’s As a Partnership Between Pulaski County Adult Education and the Maybelline Company

9. Why WAGE™ is Needed 399,755 Arkansans lack basic literacy skills

10. Why WAGE™ is Needed 491,863 Arkansans 18 years of age or older function below a 12th grade level

11. Some of Our Partners

12. WAGE Partners

13. Partners Continued

14. The alliance also includes participation agreements with the Arkansas Department of Human Services, the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, chambers of commerce, WIA, human resources associations, local leaders, staffing and training agencies, economic development agencies and boards, as well as other educational providers.

15. WAGE™ is based on the same alliance principles as the Formerly Supported by

16. WAGE Partners/Employers Refer… Job seekers or current employees to earn certificates

17. Employability Industrial Office Technology Customer Service I & II Bank Teller WAGE™ offers state-issued certificates.

18. Certificates are Stackable

19. Adult Education will help student Earn All Certificates CRC HSE Employability Industrial Office Technology Bank Teller Customer Service I & II

20. WAGE Certificate Requirements Involve Communications, Reading, Math, Writing Computer Literacy WAGE Test Workplace Ethics Teamwork Customer Service Keyboarding TABE Test Spatial Relations Manual Dexterity Mechanical Aptitude

21. Participating employers agree to give added consideration to WAGE™ graduates; given all other candidate qualifications are equal.

22. Some employerssuch as Albemarle in Magnolia require WAGE™ Certificate for Hiring Albemarle Foundation Presenting check to Magnolia WAGE with Governor

23. WAGE™ includes 112 basic skill competenciesbased on the Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS)

24. Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary SkillsBackground In 1990, the Secretary of Labor appointed a commission to determine the skills our young people need to succeed in the world of work. The commission's fundamental purpose was to encourage a high-performance economy characterized by high-skill, high-wage employment. Although the commission completed its work in 1992, its findings and recommendations continue to be a valuable source of information for individuals and organizations involved in education and workforce development. http://wdr.doleta.gov/SCANS/

25. Competencies Tested on Web-Based WAGE Test Communication Math Reading Writing

26. WAGE™ Competencies--Math • M1 Reading, writing, and counting single and multiple digit whole numbers. • M2 Adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing single and multiple digit numbers. • M3 Using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to solve problems. • M4 Rounding off single and multiple digit numbers to complete a task or subtask. • M5 Comparing whole numbers to determine variations. • M6 Reading and writing common fractions to complete a task or subtask. • M7 Adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing common fractions to solve problems. • M8 Comparing decimal and proper fractions to determine variation. • M9 Carrying our arithmetic computations involving dollars and cents. • M10 Reading and writing decimals to one or more places to complete a task or subtask. • M11 Rounding off decimals to one or more places to complete a task. • M12 Adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing decimals to one or more places. • M13 Reading, writing, and computing percents to complete a task or subtask. • M14 Using percents to determine increase or decrease. NOTE: Bold face indicates Core Competencies

27. Web-Based Test Sample Question Bill was told by his supervisor to adjust the machine to sixty seven hundredths of a centimeter.Which number below should he use to adjust the machine?.067.67.00676.7

28. WAGE™ Competencies --Communication • C1 Speaking clearly and using language easily understood by the listener. • C2 Speaking to inform another or to provide information. • C3 Speaking to inquire or to collect information. • C4 Speaking to persuade another. • C5 Speaking politely, with respect to cultural diversity, regardless of personal feelings. • C6 Speaking at a rate easily understood by the listener. • C7 Speaking at a volume appropriate of the circumstances and the message. • C8 Structuring spoken inquiries so that listener responds appropriately. • C9 Restructuring a message, when necessary, to facilitate listener understanding. • C10 Using proper telephone etiquette. • C11 Using task-related words in the proper context. • C12 Using tonal expression to facilitate communication, cooperation, and goodwill. • C13 Using vocabulary appropriate to the circumstances and the message. • C14 Understanding the meaning of and possessing self-awareness of body gestures. • C15 Understanding the meaning of and possessing self-awareness of facial gestures.

29. Writing • W1 Spelling task-related words and abbreviations correctly. • W2 Writing key technical words and abbreviations correctly. • W3 Writing symbols accurately. • W4 Keyboarding accurately. • W5 Entering appropriate information onto a form. • W6 Recording essential information that involves more than one sentence. • W7 Recording essential information in phrases or simple sentences accurately and precisely • W8 Transferring numbers, codes, dates, and figures from written sources onto appropriate sections or a form. • W9 Writing a report including necessary support documentation or classification. • W10 Writing brief, descriptive accounts of activities or transactions performed.

30. Reading • R1 Recognizing and using task-related words, abbreviations, acronyms, and codes. • R2 Identify factual details and specifications within a text. • R3 Following sequential procedural directions to complete a task. • R4 Determining the main idea of printed media or an activity. • R5 Using table of contents, indices, or screen menus to locate information. • R6 Locating pages, titles, paragraphs or charts needed to answer questions or solve problems. • R7 Skimming or scanning to determine whether text contains relevant information. • R8 Cross-referencing within a document or program screens to locate information. • R9 Using a completed form to locate information to compete a task. • R10 Combining task-related information from multiple sources. • R11 Selecting parts of text, visual materials, or an activity to complete a task. • R12 Identifying similarities and differences in objects. • R13 Determining the presence of a defect or damage. • R14 Classifying or matching objects by color, size, or significant marking. • R15 Classifying, sorting, or arranging documents. • R16 Distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant information in text or visuals.

31. Sample Reading Question The photo is of Ozark Bath House in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Hot Springs takes its name from the natural thermal water that flows from 47 springs on the western slope of Hot Springs Mountain in the historic downtown district of the city. About a million gallons of 143-degree water flow from the springs each day. The rate of flow is not affected by fluctuations in the rainfall in the area. Studies by National Park Service scientists have determined through carbon dating that the water that reaches the surface in Hot Springs fell as rainfall in an as-yet undetermined watershed 4,000 years earlier.According to the above text, how much water flows from the hot springs each day?A. No hot water, only cold flows.B. Four thousand gallons.C. It fluctuates according to rainfall.D. About a million gallons.

32. Business Return on Investment • Productivity improvements • Improved quality • Waste reduction • Increased profits • Safety incidents reduced • Customer satisfaction improves • Employee retention rates improve • Recruitment costs reduced • Improvements in employee attitudes • Employees show more interest and success at next level of technical training • Employers more competitive

33. Community Return on Investment • Increased profits = better tax base • Increased profits = better wages • Better wages retain better employees • Better wages = increased spending power • Increased spending power benefits community through better tax base, and economic growth • Improved communities attract good businesses and good employees

34. Increased Earning Power The average increase in wages for certificate holders who were employed before earning a WAGE certificate compared to after earning a certificate increased by 17.8% according to data obtained from the Arkansas Research Center in 2012.

35. WAGE offers Literacy Task Analysis to Employers at No Cost

36. LTA’s identify the literacy skills needed to do a specific job

37. Included in the LTA—readability analysis GLE (Grade Level Equivalent) on specific company documents

38. LTA Information may be used to customize specific workplace classes

39. What Can I Do? Become a WAGE Partner

40. Refer job seekers to WAGE

41. How Can I Help? Serve on the WAGE Advisory Committee

42. Contact Information WAGE Program Arkansas Department of Career Education Adult Education DivisionThree Capitol MallLittle Rock, AR 72201 Phone: (501) 682-1970