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Basic Skills Initiative

Basic Skills Initiative. Exploratory Discussion Not for Distribution or Publication. Context. Unemployment is most acute and chronic for individuals with the least amount of education and technical skill

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Basic Skills Initiative

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  1. Basic Skills Initiative Exploratory Discussion Not for Distribution or Publication

  2. Context Unemployment is most acute and chronic for individuals with the least amount of education and technical skill • 50%+ of unemployment insurance claimants are individuals with HS or less on average (27,373 June 2013) • 20,000+ individuals on wait lists for adult education classes • 1/3 of students entering public higher education require literacy and math remediation (higher at community colleges) • Lack of alignment across basic skill resources: multiple assessments, retesting, no correlation to job requirements

  3. Concept • Scalable, computer-based learning system to supplement basic skills for low-skilled individuals aligned with job competencies. • Improved job matching • Shared tools across adult education, Career Centers, community colleges • Jobs For the Future Report: ACT System (5 Tools)

  4. ACT System Overview Five major tools in the system: • Learning Tool (CareerReady101) – Self-paced, on-line remediation system customized to career field to increase literacy and numeracy • Skill Assessment (WorkKeys) – Test (computer) to identify an individual’s score levels on reading, applied math and locating information and work behavior • Certification – credential to document skill levels through the National Career Readiness Certificate Plus • Bronze, Silver, Gold Levels • About 40 States or major regions within, use the NCRC. 19 of those States have Statewide agreements with ACT • About 3,000,000 NCRCs have been issued nationally • Job Analysis & Profiler – Analyzes a job (at an employer) and identifies target scores for an occupation • Research and Analytics – the tools to analyze learning progress (KeyTrain system) and credentialing patterns (NCRC data system)

  5. Measurement National Career Readiness Certificate Plus Measures Literacy, Numeracy and “Work Behavior” Skills • Applied Math • Reading for Information • Reading to Locate Information • Talent: The “talent” module within the NCRC+ is a personality index using 165 assessment items in a survey asking for a range of “agree” or “disagree” statements analyzed by an algorithm that ranks a person’s attributes against a normative sample.

  6. Massachusetts Model

  7. RESULTS Assorted results and research from projects…basic themes. • NCRC credentials and KeyTrain use leads to higher job placement rates compared to other certificates (highest return is occupational licensing/AA) – (PFPW, MA Project Impact) • Larger post-exit wage increases compared to no credential or other forms (AA highest) – (PFPW) • Better assessment and remediation of individuals in pre-employment/sector programs to quicken enrollment, completion in ed/training and huge gains in post-placement retention – MA (Hampden MFCT, Worcester HC, etc) • http://www.act.org/workforce/developers.html • Reduction of pre-college (remediation) classes upon application to post-secondary institutions

  8. Resources

  9. Updates / Next Steps • DONE – research on tools and potential model for MA • DONE – commitment of resources from state partners ($600K) for technology tools and licensing. • IN PROGRESS: Memorandum of Understanding with funding partners to buy tools. • DONE - Formation of a new Career Readiness Committee of MWIB • Guide implementation across Career Centers, Community Colleges, ABE system (builds customer flows and system connections) • DONE – application for new resources to support implementation and cross-system capacity. • Early stages of field engagement across systems and state (outreach to field organizations more broadly). MORE TO DO! • MA Workforce Professionals Association Peer-to-Peer session • MA Workforce Board Association • Transformation Agenda • ABE coalitions

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