ACT Workforce Solutions
for K-12 Educators
38% of high school students will go straight into the workforce upon graduation.
Are you preparing your students for workplace success?
There’s never been a more challenging time to be an educator. The world of work is changing faster than ever — and today’s students must be ready for jobs that demand flexibility, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
When you talk to employers, more than half say they can’t find qualified candidates, according to a CareerBuilder® study. Simply put, the speed of change in workplace skill requirements is outpacing schools’ ability to prepare students, leaving a widening skills gap.
What can educators such as you do to close that gap? And, more important, how can you ensure that your students are prepared for life beyond their diploma?
The ACT WorkKeys is a system of career readiness assessments, curriculum, and tools designed to help educators bridge the gap between classroom learning and workplace success. It helps students understand how what they learn in school connects to real-world skills — and helps schools demonstrate that their graduates are truly career ready.
What’s in the K–12 WorkKeys System?
Prepare, assess and analyze students’ ability to apply foundational workplace skills:
✓ Applied Math – solving job-related problems using math.
✓ Workplace Documents – understanding and using written information.
✓ Graphic Literacy – interpreting charts, graphs, and diagrams.
Students who take these core assessments can earn the ACT® WorkKeys® National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC®) at the Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum level — certifying their readiness for real jobs.
Optional assessments also measure additional skills such as Business Writing, Workplace Observation, and Applied Technology.
ACT WorkKeys Assessments
Measure foundational skills required for success in the workplace.
ACT Workkeys National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC)
Help individuals earn, verify, certify, and share through Digital Badging.
ACT Workkeys Job Profiling
Analyze specific job tasks and link required skill level to pinpoint benchmarks for training with ACT WorkKeys Job Profiling.
Award College Credit for NCRC Completion
Demonstrate Career Readiness with NCRC When students join the job hunt, their job applications will mix with many others on the desks of employers. How can you help your students move their applications to the top of the stack? Give them the opportunity to earn the WorkKeys NCRC. The WorkKeys NCRC is a portable, evidence-based credential that certifies the essential skills for workplace success. Employers look for it from job candidates, whether they come directly from high school, work-based learning programs, or through postsecondary paths, because it is a valid predictor of job performance.
“The stronger we make the transition to postsecondary institutions and employers, the better job we’re going to do preparing students for college and career readiness.”
Chad Steinmetz, Wisconsin high school principal
From Learning to Earning: Turning Classroom Skills into Career Success
The ACT® WorkKeys® K–12 system empowers schools to prepare every student for life beyond high school — whether their path leads to college, technical training, the military, or directly into the workforce. It helps educators:
- Measure applied learning skills essential for workplace and postsecondary success.
- Support career exploration by connecting students’ skills to in-demand occupations.
- Demonstrate career readiness through the ACT® WorkKeys® National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) — a portable, nationally recognized credential valued by employers.
- Bridge the gap between school and work, ensuring academic learning translates to real-world skills.
ACT research involving nearly 359,000 high school students found a strong link between college and career readiness. While only 21% met three or more ACT College Readiness Benchmarks, about 65% earned a Silver or higher on the WorkKeys® NCRC. Overall, 31% of students were both college and career ready, 34% were career ready only, and 33% were neither — showing that using multiple measures helps schools identify more students prepared for success after high school.
Resource Roundup
Stay equipped and inspired with the latest events, tools, research, and best practices for career and technical education.
Launching Futures: Career Readiness Checklist
Empower your grades 9–12 students with the Launching Futures: Career Readiness Checklist for Educators — a free, practical guide to help you integrate real-world skills and career exploration into your classroom.
Career Navigation Toolkit
Help individuals understand their skills, explore career options, and plan a successful career path using their WorkKeys Assessments results.
Webinar: Connect Classrooms to Careers with the “8 Degrees of E”
See how Iredell County, NC is boosting student outcomes through career-focused learning and the “8 Degrees of E” framework.
Success Story: ACT WorkKeys Helps Rural Minnesota School Boost Career Confidence
Explore how ACT WorkKeys measures real-world, applied skills are critical in the workforce.
How Educators Use ACT WorkKeys to Empower Work-Ready Communities
How Educators Use ACT WorkKeys to Empower Work-Ready Communities
Educators strengthen the workforce of their community with skills-based career navigation, talent assessment, and skills development tools aligned with career pathways and stackable industry-recognized credentials, helping to align students' educational goals with current market needs.
Ready to Learn More About ACT WorkKeys?
Talk to an ACT representative to get started.