Build CTE Programs that Create Career-Ready Students
Give your students more than a diploma or certificate — give them proof of their career-ready skills. ACT® WorkKeys® offers assessments, credentials, and curriculum to prepare students for the workplace.
What is ACT WorkKeys?
Real Skills. Real Credentials. Real Career Readiness.
WorkKeys is an assessment, curriculum, and skills credentialing system that helps career and technical education (CTE) programs measure and build the foundational skills employers want.
Embedding WorkKeys in your CTE courses mean when your learners reach completion, they can earn an ACT® WorkKeys® National Career Readiness Certificate™ (NCRC®), a nationally recognized credential that signals job readiness to employers across industries.
WorkKeys closes the gap between classroom learning and workplace performance, giving CTE programs — and students — a measurable advantage.
How CTE Programs Use WorkKeys
Program Support
- Benchmark career readiness across your student population.
- Support remediation and targeted instruction.
- Strengthen apprenticeship programs.
- Qualify CTE institutions for Workforce Pell funding.
- Deliver reportable outcomes that demonstrate program effectiveness.
- Strengthens employer and community partnerships by speaking the same skills language that employers use.
- Enhance CTE Industry Recognized Credential (IRC) programs using the WorkKeys NCRC as a stackable credential.
Employer Alignment
- Align programs to verified job skill benchmarks.
- Support and deepen employer partnerships.
- Validate learner readiness for industry placements.
- Support ACT® WorkReady Communities initiatives.
Student Benefits
- Earn a portable, nationally recognized credential (WorkKeys NCRC).
- Open doors beyond high school using the WorkKeys NCRC to earn college credit.
- Explore careers with WorkKeys scores that link directly to occupational skill data.
- Build confidence and motivation through demonstrated, measurable skills.
- Access career pathways aligned to real labor market demand.
5 Easy Steps to Power Your CTE Program with WorkKeys
Teach what employers need — Align your programto workforce skills using the ACT Occupational Profile database.
Make learning real — Integrate the ACT® WorkKeys® Curriculum to build applied math, reading, and data skills in hands-on CTE instruction.
Track what matters — Use WorkKeys Assessments at key points to measure progress and guide instruction.
Give students proof — Award the WorkKeys NCRC at four levels — Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum.
Chart students’ courses — Use the WorkKeys Career Navigation Toolkit to help students connect scores to pathways and communicate skills to employers.
WorkKeys and Workforce Pell Grant Eligibility
WorkKeys provides the skill measurement and credentialing infrastructure that supports short-term training programs aligned to workforce needs — a key requirement for federal WorkforcePell Grant eligibility.
- Demonstrates measurable skill gains required for program accountability.
- Supports structured workforce pathways tied to industry credentials.
- Aligns with federally supported training initiatives and compliance reporting.
- Connects short-term training programs to federally supported initiatives.
The WorkKeys NCRC: A Credential That Makes Other Credentials Stronger
Students are earning certifications, completing programs, and building skills. The WorkKeys NCRC makes those accomplishments mean even more.
Recognized by employers across every major industry and tied directly to verified job skill benchmarks, the WorkKeys NCRC validates the foundational workplace skills that make industry credentials matter.
Every WorkKeys NCRC level tells an employer exactly what a candidate can do on day one.
- Built to Work Alongside Industry Credentials — The WorkKeysNCRC represents the skills foundation every industry credential builds on.
- Measures the Skills Employers Prioritize — Applied Math, Workplace Documents, and Graphic Literacy, all skills certified in one credential.
- Pre-and Post-Course Data Documented gains, and reportable outcomes — no guesswork.
- One Skills Framework for Every Career Pathway — Health care, information technology, construction, business, and more.
- Built-In Funding Alignment — Aligns with WIOA and Perkins V out of the box, strengthening grant applications
- Nationally Recognized — Trusted by employers, colleges, and policymakers nationwide.
Real CTE Learners and Real Results
Community colleges and CTE programs nationwide use WorkKeys to help their students succeed, no matter their future paths.
Expanding College Credit Pathways Through the WorkKeys NCRC
Learn how these colleges use the WorkKeys NCRC to award college credit to their students.
Local IT and Manufacturing Programs Evolve to Bring in More Partners
This community college offers industry-align skilled trade programs that offer pathways to careers.
IET Model Meets Needs of Underemployed Learners and Regional Employers
This college’s robust model integrates foundational skill instruction with technical training and wraparound support.
Accelerating Student Career Journeys Through Career Readiness Prep
This secondary school takes a strategic approach to career readiness education, ensuring students can succeed in both college and career
Resources for CTE Educators
Practical tools to help you build and strengthen your CTE program.
FEATURED
Discover How WorkKeys Scores Align to Careers
Interested in matching WorkKeys scores to specific jobs? ACT® WorkKeys® profiling draws on skill data from more than 33,000 employers to map job requirements to WorkKeys score benchmarks so you can align your program to the outcomes that matter most.
TOOLKIT
Workforce Pell Toolkit
Understand eligibility, documentation, and how WorkKeys supports your Pell-eligible programs.
WEBINAR
Harness WorkKeys for Stronger CTE Programs
Use WorkKeys assessment data to create a more robust workforce ecosystem.
Prepare Your Students for Successful Careers
Talk to an ACT representative to learn how WorkKeys and the WorkKeys NCRC can help your school measure and strengthen career readiness, credential students, and connect learning toreal-world careers for every student, every pathway.