workforce innovation in regional economic development (wired) slide 1 west michigan strategic...

Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED)

West Michigan Strategic Alliance

Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) InitiativeFunded by the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor

Amy Miller, Director of Services, Goodwill Industries, 616.532.4200 x 1155, [email protected]

Breaking Down Barriers Presentation, Revised: May 2, 2007

Bill Guest, WorkKeys Innovation Champion, 616.430.0828, [email protected]

Rachael Jungblut, WorkKeys Program Manager, GRCC, 616.234.3623, [email protected]

Liz Stegman, Program Administrator, (HELP Desk!), 616.234.3402, [email protected]

A National Career Readiness Certificate System without Barriers


WMSA Region

• Allegan

• Barry

• Ionia

• Kent

• Muskegon

• Newaygo

• Ottawa


What is our common language?

Employers say “New hires need more math.”

Educators ask “How much more?”

Employers say “We need better reading skills.”

Educators ask “How much better?”

We all know these can be endless discussions.

This communication problem extends throughout the entire Workforce Development System.


Why a Career Readiness Certificate?We need a trusted common language.

What do we mean by Qualified Candidates?• New hires

• Promotions and internal moves

• Career development programs

• Occupational training

• Job specific training

How do we measure qualifications?


Do you have Qualified Candidates?

• How successful are training classes?

• Are all employees prepared for audits?

• Are team leaders helping weak employees too much?

• Are data entry errors hurting the information system?

• Having trouble with hiring, promoting, or training?

Again, how do we measure qualifications?

Why a Career Readiness Certificate?


WorkKeys is a measurement tool.

WorkKeys quantifies skills in the following categories:

• Applied Mathematics

• Applied Technology

• Business Writing

• Listening

• Locating Information

• Observation

• Reading for Information

• Teamwork

• Writing


The WorkKeys Measurement SystemThe WorkKeys Measurement System

Assess job requirements - Assess individual skill levels - Train to eliminate gaps


Career Readiness Certificate in ContextCareer Readiness Certificate in Context

Reading forInformation

Job Specific Training

Occupational Training

AppliedMathematics

LocatingInformation

WorkKeys Measures Foundational Skills


The Career Readiness Certificate (CRC) and Jobs

WorkKeys Skill Levels: Bronze Silver Gold

Reading for Information 3 4 5

Applied Mathematics 3 4 5

Locating Information 3 4 5

Job Readiness* 30% 65% 90%

* Job Readiness indicates the % of jobs in the occupational

database that holders of these certificates are qualified to apply for.The CRC isa credential.


From: www.careerreadinesscertificate.com, revised June 2006.

CRC Deployed: CRC in Progress: Interested in CRC:

• Kentucky• Indiana• Virginia• Louisiana• Missouri• North Carolina • Oklahoma• Alabama • Tennessee • New Mexico

• North Dakota • South Carolina• Wyoming • District of Columbia • West Virginia • Iowa • Nevada • Washington • Kansas • Ohio• Colorado • Arizona• Georgia • Michigan

• California • Delaware • Maryland • Rhode Island • Illinois • Montana • Minnesota • Oregon • Idaho • Mississippi • Florida • New York • Alaska • Nebraska • Arkansas • Vermont • Utah • New Jersey • Pennsylvania

10 States 14 States 19 States


What Every WorkerWhat Every WorkerMust KnowMust Know

Reading for Information

Applied Mathematics

Locating Information

MVC


How do we get every employer to use the

same target?


Career Readiness Certificate Project Schedule

CONCEPTDEFINITION

Concept development of

the Career Readiness

Certificate target and the focus on

employer demand.

BUSINESSPLANNING

National Best Practices

identified and implemented.

Prototype planned,

organized and launched.

Performance metrics defined.

TESTING AND PROTOTYPE

County teams work with selected

employers to test the

effectiveness of WorkKeys and

the CRC to improve the Workforce.Plan WBL.

PRODUCTION AND LAUNCH

Broad based launch of

WorkKeys and the CRC in West

Michigan.Launch of Work-based Learning.

3/1/06 5/1/06 10/1/06 6/30/07 1/31/09Local

SuccessStories


Career Readiness Certificate Employer Options

Three Levels of Employer Engagement:

Entry Level Engagement: Require CRCs based on:• ACT Occupational Database (WorkKeys Consultant can help), or• O*NET Job Zone (with help from your MichiganWorks! office):

• Bronze for O*NET Zone 1 Jobs• Silver for O*NET Zone 2 Jobs• Gold for O*NET Zone 3 Jobs (and above)

Active Engagement: Require CRCs for hiring and advancement based on job assessment tools such as: Profile, SkillMap, or Estimator.

Power User: Require CRCs for key jobs and use WorkKeys as an integral human resources and employee training and development tool.


How do we improve our workforce?

• Assess foundational skills

• Use WIN software

• Use KeyTrain software

• Provide learning coaches for support

• Use practice tests in WIN and KeyTrain

• Issue Career Readiness Certificates


Prototype TeamsCounty Teams:

• Allegan• Barry• Ionia• Kent• Muskegon• Newaygo• Ottawa

Special Teams:• Healthcare RSA and HFC• Ex-offender Re-entry• The SOURCE• Special Needs Population• GED


Now, Discover Your Strengths

• Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton

• Gallup: Two Million Interviews

• Building a Strengths-based Organization

Why an Extraordinary CRC?


Cognitively disabled workers bring

valuable strengths to the job:

• Reliability

• Willingness to Learn

• Job Related Experience

• Communication and Social Skills

• Teamwork

The Extraordinary CRC


• The NCRC doesn’t document the skills that

the cognitively disabled offer employers.

• Employers need a reliable indicator of the

skill levels of all potential employees.

• The U.S. Employment Rate with Disabilities

is 37.4% (American Community Survey 2005)

The Extraordinary CRC


Reliability:

• Do you get to work on time and work your

scheduled hours?

• Do you take pride in your work?

• Do you finish your work on time?

• Can you perform the basic job functions and

work the employer’s schedule?

Source: Goodwill Industries, Grand Rapids, MI

Important Strengths for Job Success


Willingness to Learn:

• Can you follow directions?

• Can you admit your mistakes and accept

criticism to help you improve your skills?

• Can you be flexible and learn new tasks?




Job Related Experience:

• Do you have job related experience through

volunteer work, hobbies or other life

experience?




Communication and Social Skills:

• Are you positive and friendly toward

co-workers?

• Do you treat your co-workers and supervisor

with respect?

• Can you talk with your supervisor about

problems that affect your job performance?

• Are you courteous and helpful to customers?




Teamwork:

• Can you work cooperatively with a variety of

people?

• Can you set and meet performance goals?

• Are you helpful to co-workers?




Be prepared for these key questions:

• What are your strongest job skills?

• When have you used these skills at or outside work?

• When have you worked with customers?

• Give an example of a customer service problem you

helped resolve.

• What do you know about our company?

• How is this job and work environment a good fit for

you?


Tips for Interview Success


Some excellent target occupations:

• Hospitality

• Retail

• Janitorial

• Healthcare

• Others

Why a Career Readiness Certificate?


Our National Conversation and Actions:

• Connect with others at this conference.

• Share plans and results of projects.

• Identify a small team to present at next year’s

conference to move this issue forward.

Next Steps:


West Michigan Plans for 2007:

• Contract with a tri-county team to facilitate an

agreement regarding key employer needs for the

seven-county West Michigan area.

• Propose a definition for “Qualified Candidates” for

those with cognitive disabilities.

• Evaluate assessment methods to determine

effectiveness for indicating performance.

• Recommend a West Michigan Extraordinary CRC

as a compliment to the ACT NCRC.

Next Steps:


West Michigan Long-term Goals (2007-2012)

1. Gain and document 500 employer commitments with a signed Letter of Commitment (LOC) by December 2008.

2. Gain commitment of all high schools in West Michigan to add Locating Information to the MME and offer ACT National Career Readiness Certificates to all students. This is 10,000 to 15,000 certificates per year.

3. Gain commitment of our six regional Michigan Works! agencies to utilize WorkKeys and the Career Readiness Certificate as a means of defining “qualified applicants” for all job placements in West Michigan.

4. Issue 50,000 Career Readiness Certificates to incumbent and displaced workers by 2012.

5. Participate in and support the state-wide movement led by the Michigan Career Readiness Certificate Advocates (MiCRCA).


Questions&

Discussion

www.michigancrc.org

workforce innovation in regional economic development (wired) slide 1 west michigan strategic...

Documents

workkeys innovation

job readiness

information system

locating information

workkeys measurement

training administration

workkeys program manager

jobs workkeys skill