Fred McConnel, Regional Manager of Workforce Initiatives for ACT Work Ready Communities, provided a presentation on the ACT Work Ready Communities County Initiative during the conference Create, Challenge, Change: Economic Development Conference for the Denver Region. This presentation occurred during the session "Matching Workforce Skills with employer needs now and in the Future."

1. ACT Work Ready Communities
County Initiative
Fred R. McConnel
Regional Manager, Workforce Initiatives
ACT State Organizations

2. 2
Who we are…
• ACT is a not-for-profit public trust
• Our mission is:
Helping people achieve education and
workplace success
- Best known for ACT® college entrance exam
- Also provide the Work Readiness System

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• Understand Job Skill Requirements
• Measure Individuals’ Skills
• Develop Skills to Match Requirements
• Certify Individuals in Essential Skills
ACT® WorkKeys System

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The ACT
®
WorkKeys System
Comprehensive, evidence-based solutions.
Job Analysis
Define Your Workforce
Assessments
Assess Your Workforce
Training & Curriculum
Develop Your Workforce
Certification
Certify Your Workforce
Research & Analytics
Understand Your Workforce

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Job Analysis
Define your workforce
• Access one of the largest, most robust occupational profiles
databases in existence
• Identify essential skills and skill levels for selection, hiring, and
training

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Job Analysis
Define Your Workforce

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COGNITIVE SKILLS
 Applied Mathematics = Using math to solve work problems
 Reading for Information = Understanding work-related text
 Locating Information = Finding/applying graphical information
 Applied Technology = Solving problems with machines
 Observation = Understanding and evaluating work processes
 Writing = Using words to respond to work situations
 Listening = Understanding and following work instructions
 Teamwork = Maintaining relationships and meeting team goals
80% of
profiled jobs
utilize all of
these skills*

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3
4
3
4
3
4
5 5
6
3
4
Applied
Mathematics
3
4
Reading for
Information
3
4
Locating
Information
5
Skills Gap
Skills Gap
Individual
Results
Job Profile
By comparing the job profile and individual
assessment results, skills gaps can be identified
5
6
KeyTrain
Training & Curriculum

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Training & Curriculum
KeyTrain
Foundation
Skills
Trainability
Transferable
skills
Career and
Life Skills
Soft skills for
the workplace
and life
Job Search
Skills
Resumes, Job
Search, Job
Applications,
Interviewing
Career
Exploration
Search careers
by WorkKeys
skills and
interest areas

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Certification

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22.57%
58.62%
18.57%
0.25%0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
Bronze Silver Gold Platinum
ACTNCRCPercent
2012 ACT National Career Readiness Certificate
Source: 2012 National Act NCRC data – www.workreadycommunities.org
Copyright © ACT, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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NCRC and Work Readiness
Platinum 6 and above on RI, LI and AM
Gold 5 and above on RI, LI and AM
Silver 4 and above on RI, LI and AM
Bronze 3 and above on RI, LI and AM

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NCRC approved for college credit!
• American Council on Education Approved the
National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) for
Postsecondary Academic Credit
- Silver = 3 semester hours in applied critical
thinking
- Vocational Certificate Category
- Gold and Platinum = 3 semester hours in applied
critical thinking
- Baccalaureate and Associate Degree
Categories
• University of Phoenix now accepts NCRC for
college credit

14. How do you build the
workforce development ‘eco-
system’?

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Why is ACT investing?
• What we know
- Well documented national skills gap problem
- Supply and demand pipeline issue
• A Solution
- WorkKeys® tools have been successfully deployed in
the market place to help businesses find and educators
produce a skilled workforce
• The Implementation Plan
- Certified Work Ready Communities

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What are
Certified Work Ready Communities?
• An ‘eco-system’ for community-based economic development
that enables:
- Business and industry easily hire the foundational skills needed for a
productive workforce
- Individuals understand what skills are required by employers – and
how to prepare themselves for success
- Policy makers, community leaders and educators to measure and
close the skill gaps and build career pathways that help both
individuals and industry thrive
- Economic developers to use an on-demand reporting tool that
quantifies the skill level of their workforce
• Based on the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), a
portable, industry-recognized, evidence-based workforce skill
credential

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Common Thread?
Common Criteria
Emerging workforce NCRC goals
Transitioning workforce NCRC goals
Current workforce NCRC goals
Business engagement
Develop goals
based on ACT
Common
Criteria

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Top Ten Most Competitive States
• Site Selection used ACT NCRC
data as a criteria in most
competitive state rankings
• All states use ACT NCRC in
varying degrees
• Eight out of top ten are
engaged in ACT WRC
• http://siteselection.com/issues/
2015/may/top-competitive-
states.cfm

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Participation

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What is the commitment?
• County convenes a team of leaders from economic
development, chamber/lead business organization, community
college, workforce development, K12
• County teams commit to building a framework for counties to
set, achieve and maintain county initiative
• County team attends ACT WRC Academy with ACT to build a
framework to link, align and match their workforce
development system based upon ACT WRC common criteria

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ACT Work Ready Communities Fast Facts
• More than 3.21 million ACT National Career Readiness
Certificates™ (ACT NCRC®) earned
• 20,856 job profiles completed
• 269 participating counties in 24 states with 100 counties
certified, 24 counties maintained and 214 counties at 50
percent or more of their goals
• 14,040employers supporting ACT Work Ready Communities
by recognizing the ACT National Career Readiness
Certificate™

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Thank you!
www.workreadycommunities.org
Fred R. McConnel
frederick.mcconnel@act.org
404-374-1946