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Background to WorkKeys and the International Career Readiness Certificate

ACT, best known for the ACT college-entrance exam (the entrance exam accepted by more colleges and universities in the US than any other, including the SAT), has developed a system for the workplace called WorkKeys. Similar to how colleges use the ACT’s college entrance examination to determine whether an individual has the required skills for success in college, businesses use ACT’s WorkKeys and career readiness certificate to determine whether an individual possesses the necessary workplace foundational skills to be productive in the workplace. ACT’s WorkKeys and International Career Readiness Certificate (ICRC) system are applicable for virtually every job from entry level to professional and management positions. It can also be used by new and existing employees. The ICRC was developed from ACT’s National Career Readiness Certificate which began in the USA.

When ACT set out to develop WorkKeys, it consulted with hundreds of businesses of all different sizes and across various industries, in an effort to gather --first-hand-- concrete information on the foundational skills that are required in today’s workplace. Across all of these businesses of varying types, sizes, and industries, the same foundational skills kept emerging:

Individuals who possess high levels of the above skills have been found to be more productive in the workplace and, as a result, make better employees. So ACT developed the WorkKeys system to measure these nine foundational skills in employees.

Foundational Skills

  • Reading for Information: the skill people use when they read and use written text to do a job
  • Locating Information: the skill people use when they work with workplace graphics such as charts, graphs, tables, forms, maps, flowcharts, etc.
  • Applied Mathematics: the skill people use when they apply mathematical reasoning, critical thinking, and problem-solving techniques to work-related problems
  • Applied Technology: the skill people use when they solve problems with machines and equipment found in the workplace
  • Writing: the skill people use when they write messages that relay workplace information between people
  • Business Writing: the skill people use when they write an original response to a work-related situation
  • Listening: the skill people use when they receive verbal information in the workplace and relay it to another person
  • Observation: the skill people use when they pay attention to and remember work-related instructions, demonstrations, and procedures
  • Teamwork: the skill people use for choosing behaviors that lead toward the accomplishment of work tasks and that support the relationships between team members

The International Career Readiness Certificate

As the WorkKeys system increased in popularity across the United States and businesses began requiring job applicants to attain specific WorkKeys scores in order to apply for jobs, the number of individuals taking the WorkKeys foundational skills exams grew enormously. Community economic developers and community workforce developers across the US recognized this as an opportunity to demonstrate that their communities have qualified pools of workers, in an effort to attract large corporations to their area. Out of this opportunity, the National Career Readiness Certificate was born.

In creating the National Career Readiness Certificate, ACT recognized that even though all the WorkKeys exams were essential in determining foundational skills for the workplace, there were three in particular that were identified as critical for every job: Reading for Information, Locating Information and Applied Mathematics. ACT therefore based the National Career Readiness Certificate on these three skills. Success in these three assessments leads to individuals being eligible for the National Career Readiness Certificate. As global demand for WorkKeys increased, ACT created the International Career Readiness Certificate (ICRC) enabling users outside the US to benefit equally as those in the US. The International CRC is based on the exact same foundations as the National CRC.

ICRC Certificate Levels


There are three levels of the certificate:


Certificate level Required WorkKeys scores
Gold 5s and above
Silver 4s and above
Bronze 3s and above


Economic developers and workforce developers can use local quantities of Gold, Silver, and Bronze Certificates in their communities to entice businesses to open plants or other facilities there, as these businesses will want to ensure that there are suitable quantities of qualified workers there before they locate a facility in the area. The ICRC allows communities to confidently showcase their talent to businesses in a trusted and easy-to-understand manner.

Individuals

Are you an individual in the Caribbean interested in taking the WorkKeys foundational skills assessments so that you can show prospective employers (or your current employer) why you are right for a job (or for a promotion)? Then, here are some other benefits of Workkeys and the ICRC for you:

  • Builds confidence
  • Provides portable skills and certificate
  • Facilitates career changes
  • Demonstrates skill improvement and training needs
  • Increases marketability (locally, Regionally and internationally)
  • Increases ability to apply knowledge in the workplace
  • Proven benefits also found for academic performance

Case(s)

Helping Individuals Achieve Career Goals

The Organization:
Fresno County Workforce Investment Board—Fresno, California
The Challenge:
Finding a foundational career skills exam to help place unemployed residents in high-wage, high-demand jobs
The Solution: WorkKeys® assessment and skills training, along with a WorkKeys-powered skill credentialing initiative
The Results:
Thousands of residents have been placed in high-wage jobs after learning about the careers available to them.
Source: http://www.act.org/workkeys/case/fresno.html

Businesses

Are you a business currently in or from the Caribbean and interested in learning how WorkKeys can help you improve your current workforce or how it can help you manage your job applicant pool by shortlisting it to just those that are qualified for the jobs you advertise? Other benefits for businesses include:

  • Reduces turnover and waste
  • Helps businesses meet and maintain international standards, particularly quality standards
  • Increases training efficiency (reducing time and costs)
  • Increases productivity
  • Reduces overtime

Consider measuring Personal Skills as well
What about personal skills? These are available in three areas:

Performance – measures an applicant’s tendency towards risky behaviors and attitudes
Talent – designed to measure an applicant’s level of discipline, creativity, cooperation, motivation, stability, etc.
Fit - determining an applicant’s values and interests which determine their suitability (fit) for certain jobs within an organisation

Case(s)

Finding and Keeping the Right Workers

The Company:
Energizer—Asheboro, North Carolina
The Challenge:
Finding a system to hire skilled workers while conforming to lean manufacturing standards
The Solution: WorkKeys® skills assessment, job profiling, and training—facilitated by Randolph County JobLink, Randolph Community College, and the Employment Security Commission
The Results:
Reduced turnover, training time, and costly errors while increasing productivity
Source: http://www.act.org/workkeys/case/energizer.html

Pinpointing Employee Skills

The Company:
Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, based in Pascagoula, Mississippi
The Challenge:
Assessing and developing employee foundational skills
The Solution:
Using WorkKeys® job profiling, assessment, and training to assess and boost the skills of incumbent employees
The Results:
A 28 percent reduction in turnover, a significant boost in work quality, and millions of dollars saved in layoff and training expenses
Source: http://www.act.org/workkeys/case/northrop.html

For Campbell’s Soup case on Hiring and Promoting Right People, click here.

Educational Institutions


Are you an educational institution (high school, community college, vocational/technical school, or college) looking to better align your exit curriculum to the specific needs of local businesses so that your students are more quickly hired after graduating from your institution? Other benefits of the ICRC and WorkKeys for educational institutions include:

  • Identify gaps between skills students possess and the needs of businesses
  • Increase parental involvement in students’ academic life
  • Increase students’ success in entry and subsequent level posts
  • Facilitate greater student interest in their courses
  • Help to boost students’ self-esteem

Case(s)

Building Community Partnerships

The Schools:
Chicago Public Schools—Chicago, Illinois
The Challenge:
Preparing students for jobs after graduation while getting local businesses involved with their education
The Solution:
Survey local businesses to determine the skills needed in Chicago-area jobs, establish students' skill levels using ACT's WorkKeys® exams, and use [authorised ACT curriculum provider] courses for remediation
The Results:
A way to improve work-readiness instruction while giving educators and businesses a common language in terms of workplace skills
Source: http://www.act.org/workkeys/case/chicagoschools.html

Meeting No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Requirements

The Partners:
Eugene, OR, School District and the Oregon School Employees Association
The Challenge:
To verify that more than 150 teacher assistants in the district's 12 Title I schools meet the "highly qualified" standards mandated in the federal No Child Left Behind Act
The Solution:
WorkKeys Proficiency Certificate for Teacher Assistants
Source: http://www.act.org/workkeys/case/oregon.html

Economic & Workforce Developers


Are you an economic developer or workplace developer working to improve the economic and labor situation of your specific Caribbean island or community? If so, read on to learn how WorkKeys and the International Career Readiness Certificate can help your community deepen its qualified labor pool and attract new businesses and employers to your area:

  • Encourages businesses already in the community to remain
  • Drive investment to the area because of a clearly identifiable skills base
  • Facilitate the availability of more jobs
  • Decrease unemployment
  • Create more profitable businesses

Training Assistance

There is optional curriculum training available through QOHC for ALL ICRC and WorkKeys assessments. Please contact our office for more details on how you can access this training.

Who Uses WorkKeys Internationally?

Many companies have embraced WorkKeys as assisting them with their goals for:

  • Finding and keeping the right employees
  • Pinpointing employee skills
  • Helping individuals achieve their career goals
  • Building Community Partnerships
  • Meeting No Child Left Behind Requirements

Some of the companies known more in the Caribbean Region who use the WorkKeys system include:

  • Energizer
  • Campbell’s Soup Company
  • Dow Chemical Company
  • Kraft Foods
  • Morningstar Foods
  • Chicago Public Schools
  • Syracuse University and Community

Take the ICRC and WorkKeys:

Signing up for the ICRC or other WorkKeys assessments in your area or country is as easy as 1, 2, 3:

  • Call, visit or email us for costs and where to find a QOHC agent in your area or country

  • Complete the online registration form, ensuring to include:
    • Transaction number, copy of transaction record or wire transfer information

  • We will send you your unique registration code (upon receipt of your complete Application)

Registration can also be done through the QOHC Agent in your area.

Please contact our office for details on how to make payments for groups or organizations.