West Michigan Strategic Alliance Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Initiative

1. West Michigan Strategic Alliance Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Initiative Funded by the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor The National Career Readiness Certificate (Powered by WorkKeys®) Greg Northrup, President, West Michigan Strategic Alliance www.wm-alliance.org, 616.356.6060 Phil Rios, Project Manager, WIRED West Michigan, www.wiredwestmi.org, 616.331.6968 The ACT National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) Presentation, Revised: November 29, 2007 Bill Guest, WorkKeys Innovation Champion, 616.430.0828, bill.guest@metricsreporting.com Rachael Jungblut, WorkKeys Program Manager, GRCC, 616.234.3623, rjungblu@grcc.edu Liz Stegman, Program Administrator, 616.234.3471, lstegman@grcc.edu

2. West Michigan

3. WMSA Region • Allegan • Barry • Ionia • Kent • Muskegon • Newaygo • Ottawa

4. M-MIT Region • Lapeer • Livingston • Midland • Saginaw • Sanilac • Shiawasee • Tuscola • Bay • Clinton • Eaton • Genesee • Huron • Ingham

5. What is our common language? Employers say “New hires need more math.” Educators ask “How much more?” Employers say “We need better reading skills.” Educators ask “How much better?” We all know these can be endless discussions. This communication problem extends throughout the entire Workforce Development System.

6. Why a Career Readiness Certificate?We need a trusted common language. What do we mean by Qualified Candidates? • New hires • Promotions and internal moves • Career development programs • Occupational training • Job specific training How do we measure qualifications?

7. Why a Career Readiness Certificate? Do you have Qualified Candidates? • How successful are training classes? • Are all employees prepared for audits? • Are team leaders helping weak employees too much? • Are data entry errors hurting the information system? • Having trouble with hiring, promoting, or training? Again, how do we measure qualifications?

8. WorkKeys is a measurement tool. WorkKeys quantifies skills in the following categories: • Applied Mathematics • Applied Technology • Business Writing • Listening • Locating Information • Observation • Reading for Information • Teamwork • Writing

9. The WorkKeys Measurement System Assess job requirements - Assess individual skill levels - Train to eliminate gaps

10. Career Readiness Certificate in Context Job Specific Training Occupational Training Applied Mathematics Locating Information Reading for Information WorkKeys Measures Foundational Skills

11. The Career Readiness Certificate (CRC) and Jobs WorkKeys Skill Levels: Bronze Silver Gold Reading for Information 3 4 5 Applied Mathematics 3 4 5 Locating Information 3 4 5 Job Readiness* 30% 65% 90% * Job Readiness indicates the % of jobs in the occupational database that holders of these certificates are qualified to apply for. The CRC is a credential.

12. 10 States 14 States 19 States From: www.careerreadinesscertificate.com, revised June 2006.

13. MVC What Every Worker Must Know Reading for Information Applied Mathematics Locating Information

14. A Common Skills Currency

15. How do we get every employer to use the same target?

16. Career Readiness Certificate Project Schedule 3/1/06 5/1/06 10/1/06 6/30/07 1/31/09 Local Success Stories CONCEPT DEFINITION Concept development of the Career Readiness Certificate target and the focus on employer demand. BUSINESS PLANNING National Best Practices identified and implemented. Prototype planned, organized and launched. Performance metrics defined. TESTING AND PROTOTYPE County teams work with selected employers to test the effectiveness of WorkKeys and the CRC to improve the Workforce. Plan WBL. PRODUCTION AND LAUNCH Broad based launch of WorkKeys and the CRC in West Michigan. Launch of Work-based Learning.

17. Career Readiness Certificate Employer Options Three Levels of Employer Engagement: Entry Level Engagement: Require CRCs based on: • ACT Occupational Database (WorkKeys Consultant can help), or • O*NET Job Zone (with help from your MichiganWorks! office): • Bronze for O*NET Zone 1 Jobs • Silver for O*NET Zone 2 Jobs • Gold for O*NET Zone 3 Jobs (and above) Active Engagement: Require CRCs for hiring and advancement based on job assessment tools such as: Profile, SkillMap, or Estimator. Power User: Require CRCs for key jobs and use WorkKeys as an integral human resources and employee training and development tool.

18. How do we improve our workforce? • Assess foundational skills • Use KeyTrain software • Provide learning coaches for support • Use practice tests in KeyTrain • Issue Career Readiness Certificates

19. Prototype Teams County Teams: • Allegan • Barry • Ionia • Kent • Muskegon • Newaygo • Ottawa Special Teams: • Healthcare RSA and HFC • Ex-offender Re-entry • The SOURCE • Special Needs Population • GED • Inner-city

20. Career Readiness Certificate Steps Goals The Learner’s Perspective Steps to Success Job Specific Training Occupational Training Locating Information Applied Mathematics Reading for Information

21. Michigan Merit Examination (MME) Summary Table * The new Michigan Merit Examination will be utilized in all Michigan Schools beginning the Spring of 2007

22. Education and Training Pay Unemployment Rate in 2003 Median Weekly Earnings in 2003 2.9% $1,064 Master Degree Bachelor Degree Associate Degree Some College High School Diploma Some High School NOTES: Unemployment and earnings for workers 25 and older, by educational attainment; earnings for full-time wage and salary workers Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 3.3% $900 4.0% $672 5.2% $622 5.5% $554 8.8% $396

23. DRAFT Combined Score Qty. of Profiles Notes: $23,000 at “9” and $50,000 at “15” results in a gain of $4500 per point. Data is based on RI, AM, and LI scores from the ACT Occupational Database (with 5 or more Profiles) and Median income data from the O*NET. Example: 3, 3, 3 = 9; 5, 5, 5 = 15; etc.

24. Example Occupations for CRC Holders B R O N Z E S I L V E R G O L D

25. 16% None, 17% Bronze, 43% Silver, 24% Gold

26. Supply Demand Emerging Workforce (K-12 and Colleges) Transitional Workforce (MWAs and Agencies) Employers (Chambers & EAs) Incumbent Workforce (Employers)

27. Employer Demand – Market Channel Partners • High Schools (K-12 System) • Colleges and Universities • Michigan Works Agencies (MWAs) • Private Employment Agencies • Chambers of Commerce • Economic Development Agencies • Employers Associations • Literacy and Adult Education Organizations • State Agencies and Partners • National Agencies and Partners

28. Employer Letter of Commitment Basic Commitments: □ We will ask job applicants “Do you have a Career Readiness Certificate?” □ We will recognize the Career Readiness Certificate in hiring, promotion, and employee development practices for selected positions. □ We give WIRED West Michigan permission to use our name in public awareness efforts to promote the Career Readiness Certificate. Extraordinary commitments: □ We will include Career Readiness Certificate preparation programs in our tuition refund plan and/or provide assistance and an incentive for our employees. □ We will provide special treatment for individuals with Career Readiness Certificates, such as, taking five minutes to warmly greet them when they fill out an application. □ We will provide financial support for a promotion campaign, such as, a billboard or advertisement. □ We will promote this program with our supply chain and recognize those suppliers that make this commitment to employee development. □ We will test and certify ______ % employees. We employ _______ employees. □ We will track and report data for purposes of statistical summaries for our region. □ We will join and utilize the ACT Job and Talent Bank.

29. West Michigan Long-term Goals (2007-2012) 1. Gain and document 500 employer commitments with a signed Letter of Commitment (LOC) by December 2008. 2. Gain commitment of all high schools in West Michigan to add Locating Information to the MME and offer ACT National Career Readiness Certificates to all students. This is 10,000 to 15,000 certificates per year. 3. Gain commitment of our six regional Michigan Works! agencies to utilize WorkKeys and the Career Readiness Certificate as a means of defining “qualified applicants” for all job placements in West Michigan. 4. Issue 50,000 Career Readiness Certificates to incumbent and displaced workers by 2012. 5. Participate in and support the state-wide movement led by the Michigan Career Readiness Certificate Advocates (MiCRCA).

30. “We” vs. “They” Questions & Discussion www.michigancrc.org

31. Career Readiness Certificate & WorkKeys Partners • Career Readiness Certificate • Michigan: www.michigancrc.org • ACT National: www.careerreadinesscertificate.org • CRC Consortium: www.crcconsortium.org • ACT WorkKeys, www.act.org/workkeys • Steve Anderson, 563.391.3742, steve.anderson@act.org • John Nelson, 319.321.9705, john.nelson@act.org • KeyTrain, www.keytrain.com • Rick Harris, 888.480.4883, rick@keytrain.com • Justin Saylor, 877.842.6205, justin.saylor@keytrain.com • The Council for Adult & Experiential Learning (CAEL), www.cael.org • Pam Tate, President, 312.499.2680, ptate@cael.org • Joel Simon, Consultant, 312.499.2678, jsimon@cael.org