Wyoming Department of Workforce ServicesCareer Readiness Certificates for Wyoming

Measuring Candidate Potential

Wyoming’s Career Readiness Certificate

• Wyoming’s Career Readiness Certificate is an initiative that provides a standardized demonstration of foundational work-ready skills for job seekers who receive the certificate.

• Officially launched statewide on July 9, 2008 by Governor Dave Freudenthal, the initiative began as small pilot program within a few of the state’s Community Colleges.

• After seeing success, the Community Colleges worked with the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services and other partners to create Wyoming’s Career Readiness Certificate.

• Words from Governor Freudenthal…

National Career Readiness Certificate

• Wyoming joins numerous other states that either currently have or are working toward their own Career Readiness Certificate programs.

• In addition to being a statewide initiative, the National Career Readiness Certificate has gained momentum among states with statewide programs.

• The National Certificate ensures that a job seeker has certain skills that are important across a range of jobs and that achievement of the National Certificate is accepted in all states that participate.

• In addition, the National Certificate offers individuals, employers, and educators an easily understood and universally valued credential.

Partners in Wyoming’s Initiative

• The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services has joined with the following to bring forward Wyoming’s Career Readiness Certificate:– The Governor’s Office– Wyoming Department of Education– Wyoming Department of Corrections– Wyoming Community Colleges

Why Career Readiness for Wyoming?

• Feedback from job seekers and businesses has been positive.

• Wyoming Career Readiness Certificate offers benefits to:– Job Seekers– Employers– Economic Developers– Workforce Development– Education

Benefits to Job Seekers

• The Certificate compares foundational skill levels to the desired occupation creating a better job match.

• Provides a portable and easily recognizable credential.

• Demonstrates transferable employability skill levels.

• Identifies areas where additional training is needed.

• Offers confidence to pursue career goals.

Benefits to Employers

• The Certificate offers a tool for hiring, retention, and promotion.

• Offers a vehicle to tap into the most qualified labor pool in their area.

• Reduces turn over because candidate skills match closely with the skills the employer desires.

• Can provide a way to find the right person with the right skills for the right position at the right time.

• Allows for targeted employee training and development.

• Provides a sold insight into an individual’s foundational skills.

Benefits to Employers

• Reduces hidden costs such as:– Lost Production Time– Turnover– Rehiring– Overtime, and– Additional training by identifying workers with

documented skills.

• Increases:– Productivity– Employee Morale, and– Hiring Efficiency

Benefits to Economic Development

• Provides the potential for each of Wyoming’s counties to demonstrate the work-ready skill level of its workforce.

• Can assist in validating the skill level on an available workforce to fill the needs of existing and new industries.

• Demonstrates the work ready skills of available workers.

• Provides local businesses with an assurance of a well-trained workforce.

• Matches skill level requirements with employers’ needs.

Benefits to Workforce Development

• Addresses academic and workforce readiness with a coordinated assessment system.

• Meets the demands of industry.

Benefits to Education

• Increases referrals from the workforce development system.

• Identifies gaps between students’ skills and employment needs.

• Improves students’ successes in entry-level and subsequent jobs.

The Assessment: WorkKeys

• Three assessments provided by ACT:– Reading for Information– Applied Mathematics– Locating Information

• ACT has profiled 12,000+ jobs.

• For each position, the profile identifies the foundational skills and WorkKeys skill levels an individual needs to perform a job successfully.

Scoring the Assessment

• After taking the three assessments, individuals can score at any of the following levels:– Gold – Scoring 5 and above on all three assessments– Silver – Scoring 4 and above on all three assessments– Bronze – Scoring 3 and above on all three assessments

The Bronze Level (3)

• The following occupations match the skills of individuals receiving a Bronze Level Certificate:– Automotive Body and Related Repairs– Barbers– Butchers and Meat Cutters– Cooks, Institutions and Cafeteria– Dental Laboratory Technicians– Home Health Aides– Housekeeping Supervisors, Janitorial Supervisors, Maids

and Housekeeping Cleaners– Locomotive Engineers– Sales and Related Workers

The Silver Level (4)

• The following occupations match the skills of individuals receiving a Silver Level Certificate:– Administrative Services Managers– Auditors– Automotive Master Mechanics, Automotive Specialty

Technicians– Chefs and Head Cooks, Food Service Managers– Construction Carpenters– Dental Assistants, Medical Assistants, Radiologic

Technologists– Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses– Municipal Fire Fighters– Secretaries, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive

The Gold Level (5)

• The following occupations match the skills of individuals receiving a Gold Level Certificate:– Computer Programmers– Education Administrators, Elementary and Secondary

School– Electrical Engineers– Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians– Pharmacy Technicians, Respiratory Therapists– Training and Development Specialists– Vocational Education Teachers, Secondary School

The Process

• Job seekers can use our website (www.wyomingworkforce.org/crc) to locate a testing site near them or call the local Workforce Center in their community. Once a site is located, the job seeker should make an appointment to take the assessment.

• Testing sites are located in the community colleges throughout the state.

• Once the assessment is taken, it will be scored and certificate will be issued to the job seekers.

• Job seekers are then able to present the Certificate to employers as they apply for open positions.

The Certificate

Scores on Each AssessmentExpiration Date

(Certificates are valid for 5 years)

Date Assessment was Taken

Signatures from Governor & Department Director

Name of Recipient

National & State Logos

The Color of the Bucking Horse & Rider Designates the Level of Certificate Achieved

Serial Number

The Pocket Certificate

Expiration Date

The Color of the Bucking Horse & Rider Designates the Level of Certificate Achieved

Name of Recipient

Improving Your Score

• Job seekers will have the opportunity to enroll in courses through the local community colleges or online to work toward improving their scores.

Receiving the National Certificate

• Once a job seeker achieves Wyoming’s Career Readiness Certificate, she may request that her National Career Readiness Certificate be mailed to her from ACT.

• With her Wyoming Certificate, she will receive a letter detailing how to request that her National Certificate be issued.

Call to Action

• One of the key component for success of Wyoming’s Career Readiness Certificate Initiative is educating the business community on the value of hiring an applicant that has achieved the credential.

• Once job seekers see that businesses are valuing the assurances that the Certificate provides, more and more will obtain the Certificate.

Questions…

Contact : <<<INSERT LOCAL WORKFORCE CENTER CONTACT INFO>>>

Or visit www.wyomingworkforce.org/crc or calling 877-WORK-WYO

To learn more about the WorkKeys Assessment and the National Career Readiness Certificate, visit www.workkeys.com