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Front Range Workforce Centers Band Together for Pilot Program to Launch a CareerReady Colorado Certificate

What is a Career Readiness certificate?

WorkKeys assessments evaluate a person’s skill levels in areas deemed important to many jobs in the workplace today. ACT offers a National Career Readiness Certificate based on three of its most relevant assessments: Locating Information, Reading for Information, and Applied Mathematics. This national certificate is the basis for what will become known as the Colorado CareerReady Certificate. Four Front Range workforce centers – Adams County, Arapahoe/Douglas, Denver, and Jefferson Counties are collaborating to pilot this Colorado CareerReady Certificate program.

This exciting opportunity in workforce development in Colorado will earn Governor Bill Ritter, Jr.’s signature and will be a certificate that tells Colorado employers that prospective employees have what it takes to get the job done. This certificate could also be earned by existing employees to demonstrate that they do indeed have the skills necessary to complete the job at hand. Finally, pursuing these certificates will allow employees and employers alike to know what type of professional development might be needed to ensure that work is getting done in the best way possible.

How is a Colorado CareerReady Certificate earned?

The Colorado CareerReady Certificate will be available to job seekers wanting to further solidify the skills they have to offer employers. People seeking the certificate will need to:

• Take the three assessments that deem a person career ready – Reading for Information, Locating Information, and Applied Mathematics.
• Obtain a minimum level of 3 on all tests to obtain a Bronze Certificate.
• Earn scores of 5 and above for a Gold Level and 4 and above for a Silver Level.

Why these three assessments one might ask? The answer comes from the job titles themselves. ACT has done its homework and has profiled over 12, 000 jobs across the country to figure out the skills needed and, just as importantly, the level of skills needed. Being able to find information and solve problems are two essential skills for today’s workforce.

According to the ACT website, the job of Automotive Master Mechanic requires a skill level of Silver in order to be successful. Medical assistant jobs have a Bronze range of skill level for lower end jobs and Silver and Gold Levels as duties and responsibilities increase.

Why are Front Range Workforce Centers collaborating

Adams, Arapahoe/Douglas, Denver and Jefferson county workforce centers realize the value of working as a cohort of centers to pilot this project because of their experiences related to regional economic development. Denver’s Office of Economic Development (DOED) has already begun a program to implement job seeker certification. The Colorado CareerReady Certificate would become part of this program.
Denver’s Office of Economic Development has already identified several businesses who are willing to use the CRC. These businesses are all part of industries targeted as areas for economic development: energy, construction, health, hospitality, business services, and information technology. The businesses on board for the Colorado CareerReady Certificate include: Best Care, Inc., Denver Health, Exempla St. Joseph, The Body Shop at DIA, The Nuance Group (duty free shops at DIA), and Ampco Parking.

Why use a Colorado CareerReady Certificate

The reasons for using the certificate are varied. For instance, The Nuance Group and The Body Shop use it as a prescreening tool for prospective employees. In fact, The Nuance Group is already using the certificates. They send prospective employees to a workforce center to complete the assessments. Applicants obtaining at least a Bronze level are asked to fill out an application and are guaranteed an interview. By utilizing this system, The Nuance Group finds that applicants do indeed possess the necessary skills to be successful employees. The result is a workforce that is higher skilled, more educated, and more experienced. While there is no formal data on improved retention, The Nuance Group’s general manager believes using this tool has cut down on involuntary termination and turnover.

When will the pilot begin?

The deadline for request for proposals (RFP) for the Colorado CareerReady Certificate pilot program is February 4, 2008, and the four workforce centers are hopeful that their proposal will be accepted. The Front Range workforce centers – Adams, Arapahoe/Douglas, Denver, and Jefferson counties – are excited about this opportunity to further their abilities to help employers find and keep the qualified workforce they need. If you have further questions about the Colorado CareerReady Certificate, contact Joni McDaniel, Training & Assessment Administrator, for the Jefferson County Workforce Center at 303-271-4715 or jmcdaniel@jeffco.us.