Kentucky Serves as Model in Statewide Adoption of the National Career Readiness Certificate

Kentucky is once again setting an example for other states to follow.

In 2003, the state pioneered one of the first work-ready certificates—the Kentucky Employability Certificate (KEC), which was WorkKeys^® based. Earlier this year, officials rolled out a statewide National Career Readiness Certificate program to replace the KEC.

Bill Monterosso

While the KEC was successful in some regions of the state, it was limited to Kentucky. When funding became available to move the state to the more portable National Career Readiness Certificate, officials jumped at the chance.

“We are reinventing the state’s workforce system to offer more value to employers and job seekers, and the National Career Readiness Certificate fits into our plans,” said Bill Monterosso, executive director of the Kentucky Office of Employment and Training. “It’s the key element in making sure we are meeting the state’s employment needs, preparing a skilled workforce, and providing a credential that reaches beyond our borders.”

Beth Brinley

Nationwide recognition of the certificate also appealed to state officials. “There are people living in Kentucky who work in nearby states and vice versa. The National Career Readiness Certificate provides a common standard with which to measure the skills of our workers and match them with employers’ needs, regardless of where the workers are living,” said Beth Brinly, commissioner, Kentucky Department of Workforce Investment.

Adoption of the certificate is included in the “WORKSmart Kentucky” strategic plan approved by the Kentucky Workforce Investment Board in May 2010. Governor Steve Beshear created the board in 2009 and directed it to transform the state’s workforce development system. The plan outlines action steps for addressing current workforce issues and meeting the challenges of a changing global economy.

Tom West

“In this economy, we can control only so much. Making sure we have a skilled workforce is one thing we can influence, which is why the National Career Readiness Certificate is essential to our plan. It provides evidence of a skilled workforce,” said Tom West, executive director, Kentucky Workforce Investment Board.

Officials from workforce development, business and industry, economic development, government, career and technical education, adult education, and secondary education helped develop the strategic plan and are now working together to implement it.

They anticipate that the National Career Readiness Certificate will:

• Increase communication and collaboration efforts among the state’s workforce boards and boards of education, technical education, postsecondary education, adult education, and economic development.
• Increase the number of high school graduates who are ready for college and work.
• Provide opportunities to promote to younger students educational options such as technical education programs, two-year and four-year colleges, apprenticeships, and specialty training programs.
• Increase awareness of education and skills requirements for high-demand jobs and jobs in emerging industries.
• Help establish the concept of lifelong learning as the norm.

Officials are working to deliver the National Career Readiness Certificate through more than 200 career centers and satellite sites and will help regional Workforce Investment Boards and employers determine which services—job profiling, WorkKeys assessments, and certification—best meet their needs.

Reecie Stagnolia

The overall goal is to make sure Kentucky remains competitive for jobs and workers in the new economy.

“Strong partnerships are imperative to our entire process. We’ve been fortunate to have the right partners and to have buy-in at a high level, from both the governor’s office and the chamber of commerce. Everyone is working toward making this a successful initiative,” said Reecie Stagnolia, vice president, Kentucky Adult Education. “The National Career Readiness Certificate is critical to our students’ success.”

New Statewide Program May Extend to High Schools

Darryl McGaha

Darryl McGaha is pleased about Kentucky’s move to the National Career Readiness Certificate. He and his staff at the Lake Cumberland Area Development District have been working diligently to raise awareness of the certificate in the 13-county area of south central Kentucky they serve.

“I’m about as big a proponent of the National Career Readiness Certificate as you’re going to find in Kentucky,” said McGaha, who is the associate director for workforce development.

In 2005, the district launched a pilot project that offers WorkKeys assessments to area high school seniors who want to take them. Its Workforce Investment Board and area companies funded the tests and certificates. “We thought if we could build a pool of people who had taken the assessments and earned certificates, we could demonstrate the quality of the local workforce to employers,” he said.

During the first five years of the project, more than 13,000 high school seniors took three WorkKeys assessments: Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, and Reading for Information. Of this group, 7,800 qualified for a gold level or silver level certificate. A gold level certificate means the person has the necessary foundational skills for 90 percent of the jobs in the WorkKeys database. A silver level indicates the person has the skills for 65 percent of the jobs.

The project is now in its sixth year, and McGaha anticipates that about 3,100 students will take WorkKeys by the end of this academic year. State funding is expected to cover the costs this time.

The project has garnered the attention for WorkKeys and the National Career Readiness Certificate that McGaha and his staff have been seeking. Educators and employers alike now realize the importance of the tools in preparing students for the future. State officials are looking to the pilot as a model they may want to replicate throughout Kentucky.

“We’ve gone from having to plead with schools to try WorkKeys to having schools now call us to ask when the tests will be offered,” said McGaha. “Employers and state officials are taking notice. We’re all finally moving in the same direction.”