Work Readiness Credential January 2006 Pam Lund Workforce Board Joan Wills Institute for Education Leadership Amy Johnson Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce A Common Foundation for Employability National Work Readiness Credential

Work Readiness Credential January affirm an entry-level job seeker or employee has communication, interpersonal, decision-making, and lifelong learning skills, and understands how to apply those skills on-the-job. The Credential measures what a person can do - not what he or she knows. Work-ready skills are common to many industries, not occupational specific. The Work Readiness Credential Will…

Work Readiness Credential January Source: US Chamber of Commerce The Work Readiness Credential is… Built to the specifications of business Built on SCANS, O*NET and Equipped for the Future Applied Learning Standards A US DOL Approved Common Measure for Youth Like No Other Assessment Tool, Addresses Entry level Work Readiness

Work Readiness Credential January Built to work within the public workforce system Rigorously developed to ensure a valid, reliable, legally defensible certification of entry-level work readiness Results: Better Accountability to Customers A more efficient pipeline for entry level workers A strong foundation for moving up the career ladder Source: US Chamber of Commerce The Work Readiness Credential is…

Work Readiness Credential January Building Skills is the Key to a Successful Career Measuring and Documenting progress along the way: AA, BA Degrees Occupational Certifications EFF Work Readiness Credential

Work Readiness Credential January Four Modules in the Assessment include: Read with Understanding: 30 min. Use Math to Solve Problems: 30 min. Oral Language Test: 30 min. Situational Judgment Test: 45 min. Total length: 2 – 2 1/2 hours

Work Readiness Credential January Project Timeline December 2002 – February 2004 – Phase 1 Define EFF Work Readiness Profile March 2004 – April 2005 – Phase 2 Identify, develop, and pilot-test assessment instruments. Design credential delivery system. May 2005 – May 2006 – Phases 3 and 4 Field-test assessment instruments. Finalize assessment instruments, guides to implementation, and supporting materials.

Work Readiness Credential January Phase 3 - Field Tests The field tests will validate: the technological, cultural, demographic and regional fairness of all four assessments AND how well the assessments predict work readiness (validating by both content and experiential measures). In addition to the employee testing the content was evaluated to ensure the assessments lead to a credential that is a fair and accurate predictor of work readiness.

Work Readiness Credential January Field Tests Continued… 24 field test sites across the nation – approximately 800 participants At least 90% of the test takers were entry-level employees whose skills can be independently validated by their direct supervisors Full web based presentation, including the Oral Work Based Language component

Work Readiness Credential January Field tests were sponsored by: Snohomish County WDC, Perry Technical Institute, Spokane Chamber of Commerce, South Seattle Community College Spokane Chamber of Commerce and Spokane Community College hosted participants including employees from manufacturing, packaging, and the technology businesses in and around Spokane Washington State Field Tests

Work Readiness Credential January Field Test Completion Stanford Research Institute will validate the effectiveness of the testing instrument with their technical and educational partners The web based assessment will be finalized for ease of access and operation The test will be amended and designed to meet the Federal “Accessibility” standards to support the needs of all potential employees

Work Readiness Credential January National Steps for Implementation Decisions on National Governance and Pricing Completion of state field tests and national analysis Determination of cut scores by frontline supervisors Approval of Marketing Plan and Branding Work Readiness Credential Delivery Selection of subcontractor to ensure test integrity

Work Readiness Credential January What Are Other States Doing To Implement The National Credential?

Work Readiness Credential January Policy Questions What do we want from the early implementation of the credential? Oversight? If so what would this look like? Data - if so what kind? What does success look like? What incentives would the state want to offer to ensure the success of the credential? Do we want to establish pilots within the state in the first and second years? What kinds of technical support will be needed?