Helping people achieve education and workplace success. ACT’s Mission Helping people achieve education and workplace success. ACT is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people achieve education and workplace success. Headquartered in Iowa City, Iowa, ACT is trusted as a national leader in college and career readiness, providing high-quality assessments grounded in nearly 60 years of research. ACT offers a uniquely integrated set of solutions designed to provide personalized insights that help individuals succeed from elementary school through career. Mission driven, not-for-profit National leader in college and career readiness Sixty years of powerful research Dedicated to success of individuals in education and the workplace Dedicated to helping people achieve education and workplace success

Aligning Training to Meet Industry Demands TIP: Right-click on the slide to view multiple color layout options.

Presenters: Julie Gibson Director, Workforce, College and Workforce, ACT julie.Gibson@act.org Dr. Carol Ogletree Senior Industrial Organizational Psychologist, ACT Carol.Ogletree@act.org

Agenda WorkKeys and Career Readiness Training and Curriculum alignment Summary and closing remarks Q&A

The Current State of Affairs 70% of the increase in postsecondary requirements is due to upgrades in skills demanded by occupations that previously did not require higher education The earning gap between those that earn postsecondary credential vs. those that only complete a high school diploma has increased A significant segment of today’s labor force does not have the requisite skills demanded by employers The current state of affairs for the US labor market is one of change. Research has shown that 70% of the increase in postsecondary requirements for job openings is due to upgrades in skills demanded by occupations that previously did not require higher education Other studies have found that there is a widening earnings gap between individuals that earn some sort of postsecondary credential compared to those who only complete a high school diploma. This gap has increased steadily over the past decade. At the same time, employer surveys find that employers feel that a significant segment of today’s labor force does not have the requisite skills demanded for vacant positions.

Measure Career Readiness with ACT WorkKeys

ACT® WorkKeys System Understand Job Skill Requirements Measure Individuals’ Skills Develop Skills to Match Requirements Certify Individuals in Essential Skills Research to Validate Outcomes Wheel links to Work Ready System video ACT in the workforce development space since 1993 Suite of work contextualized cognitive and non cognitive assessments with a process of profiling/analyzing skills needed for occupations on the same metric Part of a system developed to document job skill requirements, measure individual skills, match to jobs, and to certify individuals as being “work ready”

ACT WorkKeys

Identifying errors in calculation Converting systems of measurement Calculating areas and volumes Interpreting trends, relationships, and patterns Comparing information and trends among data sets Using data to make decisions Inferring meanings of words and phrases from contexts Deciphering the meaning of acronyms, jargon, or technical content Applying information and instructions to a new situation ACT WorkKeys NCRC

ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate The ACT WorkKeys NCRC is the BIG value. One way examinees can use their ACT WorkKeys Assessment scores is to work toward an ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate. The ACT WorkKeys NCRC measures and certifies essential work skills needed for success in jobs across industries and occupations.

ACT WorkKeys NCRC Levels Minimum score of 6 on each NCRC assessment Minimum score of 5 on each NCRC assessment Minimum score of 4 on each NCRC assessment Minimum score of 3 on each NCRC assessment As you can see, there are four certification levels. Examinees must score a minimum on each of the three NCRC assessments (Applied Math, Workplace Documents, and Graphic Literacy) to receive a certificate. NCRC certificates are not rewarded on the average score of the three tests, but on the minimum level across all three tests.

Career Readiness and Education Outcomes Research has demonstrated relationships between WorkKeys assessment performance and various education and employment outcomes, as shown below: Career Readiness and Education Outcomes

Prior Learning Assessment NCRC has been recommended by American Council on Education that colleges award up to 4 credit hours to recipients who achieve silver or above. Earning a GOLD/PLATINUM NCRC 2.0 = 4 semester hours towards a Bachelor/Associate’s degree

Supported by 20,000 Job Skills Profiles Measure foundational workplace skills Ensure students are ready for career success Help employers find, hire, & train quality talent Attract & maintain business & industry Foundation for valuable credentialing systems ACT® WorkKeys® assessments are based on situations in the everyday working world. They are supported by data from more than 20,000 job skills profiles and rooted in decades of workplace research. The assessments measure “hard” and “soft” skills, helping: Individuals, from career seekers to longtime employees, measure their skills and advance their career goals Educators, from high school through college, ensure their students are ready for career success Employers find, hire, and develop quality talent Workforce and economic developers prepare their workforce to attract and maintain business and industry Industry associations and advocacy organizations develop valuable skills credentialing systems for a more productive, reliable, and profitable workforce

WorkKeys and Credentials ACT WorkKeys NCRC aligns with other credentials Improves training success when used for program entry Improves industry credential attainment success when used as exit from training program WorkKeys and Credentials ACT WorkKeys NCRC Foundational Skills Competency based program of study or training Occupational and/or Academic Credential Ensure training programs are competency based through alignment Supported by Lumina Leverage WorkKeys NCRC as entry into program for better success MSSC curriculum and credentials aligned for: Production Technician Logistics Technician

Training and Curriculum Alignment

WorkKeys & Training Programs Job Profiling and Curriculum Profiling WorkKeys Assessments WorkKeys NCRC WorkKeys Curriculum Validity Research WorkKeys & Training Programs Profiling - tool to identify requirements of job, occupations, training program – next up is carol...

WorkKeys Uses A Common Metric WorkKeys Uses Same Metric for System Components WorkKeys Uses A Common Metric

Using WorkKeys Tools for Program Development WorkKeys skills are foundational skills which are: Basic skills that are used in most jobs, skills that can grow and be developed with training, and the kinds of skills that you must have in order to develop other skills (like knowing basic math principles in order to learn calculus.)

Job and Curriculum Analysis Curriculum Profile Job Profile Occupation Profile Cindy Hill to develop

WorkKeys Estimator Documents decisions concerning the use of WorkKeys assessments Quick - about 5 -10 minutes per skill Easy-to-use - step-by-step format Links to other job resources WorkKeys Occupational Profiles The O*NET® data base Benefits Helps employers determine the National Career Readiness Certificate level to recommend potential employees obtain to be successful in their jobs. Helps educators identify the WorkKeys skills and skill levels needed to enter a training program and can provide individuals with the information they need to prepare for, and make decisions regarding, their readiness for program entry. Assures employers that program graduates (i.e., current and prospective employees) have the WorkKeys skills and skill levels needed in order to be successful on the job. Provides individuals to make informed decisions about jobs and to identify their own strengths and weaknesses, as they pursue their education and career goals. Small employers, as defined by the Uniform Guidelines, can use WorkKeys Estimator to take advantage of WorkKeys assessments when they are selecting candidates. Workforce developers can identify skill gaps in their communities by working with local employers to identify their needs and educators to ensure their training is aligned. Participants: Experts who are knowledgeable about the job, occupation or curriculum Coordinator who facilitates the process Management Includes 6 skills: ncrc skills - Applied Math, Workplace Documents, GL, and Applied Technology, Workplace Observation, and Business Writing

WorkKeys Estimator

WorkKeys Estimator

WorkKeys Estimator Deliverable: Documentation of Skill Estimates -- Releasing as online tool next week during workforce summit -- Introductory price of $125 – goal is to provide tool to introduce workkeys -- Curriculum ESTMATES vs Curriculum DETAILS. In a curriculum profile you start with existing Learning Objectives so the profiler doesn’t have to pull together a task list. In a basic, curriculum profile you would identify just the knowledge, skills and abilities, but you could also identify the tools and technology the students are learning. The

WorkKeys Estimator: Available in two weeks at the ACT iStore for $125 WorkKeys Estimator: Available in two weeks at the ACT iStore for $125! act.org/istore/wkestimator Curriculum ESTMATES vs Curriculum DETAILS.

Job and Curriculum Analysis Curriculum Profile Job Profile Occupation Profile Cindy Hill to develop

Profile Process: Links Requirements to Assessments Learning Objectives/Tasks of the Job WorkKeys Tests Profile Process: Links Requirements to Assessments WorkKeys Profiling Identifies WorkKeys skills and skill levels required to perform the tasks of the job/ complete a curiculum Carol’s first slide?

Curriculum Profile Identify Learning Objectives Instructors, Graduates, Students Identify Learning Objectives Identify WorkKeys skills & levels for entry and exit from the program Curriculum ESTMATES vs Curriculum DETAILS. In a curriculum profile you start with existing Learning Objectives so the profiler doesn’t have to pull together a task list. In a basic, curriculum profile you would identify just the knowledge, skills and abilities, but you could also identify the tools and technology the students are learning. The

Curriculum Profiling Procedure Step 1—Comprehensive List of Learning Objectives Step 2—Curriculum Review Step 3—Skill Analysis for Curriculum Step 4—Documentation  

WorkKeys Skill Description definition level definition examples collect info Example – of how common metric can lead to comprehensive use of workkeys tools (borrowed slide from cindy’s show)

MSSC Curriculum Profiles Industry-led non-profit national certifying body with 700+ Authorized Assessment Centers in 44 states Standards development involved 700 companies, 4000 front-line workers, 300 experts, $9 million public & private funds Applicable to: All front-line production jobs (6 million) All front-line material handling and distribution jobs (5.3 million) A broad population of: students, unemployed, under-utilized, career-changers, displaced & incumbent workers, and veterans MSSC Curriculum Profiles Example – of how common metric can lead to comprehensive use of workkeys tools (borrowed slide from cindy’s show)

MSSC Curriculum Profiles Credentialing Programs included: Certified Production Technician (CPT) Five CPT individual certificate modules: Safety Quality Practices & Measurement Manufacturing Processes & Production Maintenance Awareness Green Production Certified Logistics Associate (CLA) Certified Logistics Technician (CLT) MSSC Curriculum Profiles

MSSC Curriculum Profile Results

MSSC Curriculum Profile Results

Using WorkKeys for career or training readiness MSSC Curriculum Profile Results Curriculum profiles identify the skill levels required for entrance into a program of study and for program completion. MSSC Certified Logistics Associate and Certified Logistics Technician Using WorkKeys for career or training readiness Curriculum profiles identify the skill levels required for entrance into a program of study and for program completion. Curriculum alignments facilitate objective discussions between employers and educators to identify courses of action that can be taken to update curriculum to meet employer needs. The results from a curriculum profile and a job or occupational profile are the foundation of a curriculum alignment. The results from a curriculum profile and a job or occupational profile are the foundation of a curriculum alignment.

MSSC Curriculum Profile Results Curriculum Profile Deliverable: Detailed Support for Identified Skill Level Needs

Curriculum Profiling Deliverables Various Curriculum Profile Models and Deliverables

Aggregated Job Profile Results Occupational Profile Results Online data – for career advisement Note: that this data is entry into a JOB , not entry into a CURRICULUM And I will share some examples of the value of profiling data to employers and in education and by that time you may not want to know any more about profiling, but I’ll highlight what it takes to be a profiler and what you can expect from the training should you really want to be one of us Median Wages: $44.45 hourly, $92,460 annual Green Occupation

Over 600 dislocated Ohio manufacturing workers Grant Over 600 dislocated Ohio manufacturing workers

Best Practices: Jefferson College Example – of how common metric can lead to comprehensive use of workkeys tools

WorkKeys Solutions Summary Benefits Helps employers determine the skill levels (including National Career Readiness Certificate levels) to recommend potential employees obtain to be successful in their jobs. Helps educators identify the WorkKeys skills and skill levels needed to enter a training program and can provide individuals with the information they need to prepare for, and make decisions regarding, their readiness for program entry. Assures employers that program graduates (i.e., current and prospective employees) have the WorkKeys skills and skill levels needed in order to be successful on the job. Provides individuals to make informed decisions about jobs and to identify their own strengths and weaknesses, as they pursue their education and career goals. Workforce developers can identify skill gaps in their communities by working with local employers to identify their needs and educators to ensure their training is aligned.

Thank you! Q & A