ACT

PROJECT PURPOSE

Adults seeking new opportunities or needing to reenter the workforce post pandemic need evidence of the requisite and foundational skills employers need. ACT WorkKeys is an ecosystem comprised of (1) a digital curriculum to develop foundational skills, (2) an assessment system to certify work skills, (3) a nationally recognized credential ? National Career Readiness Certificates (NCRC) and (4) a robust workforce development team helping Oklahoma and its employers to identify and profile jobs for which they can hire certified and qualified individuals. Coming out of the pandemic, Oklahoma can serve individuals, businesses, local communities, and the state economy by jumpstarting the hiring process by matching individuals to open positions. And if an individual needs additional skills development, WorkKeys digital curriculum can help them refine, sharpen, or learn the skills necessary for good paying and satisfying career opportunities. This approach has been proven previously by Oklahoma Career Tech which uses WorkKeys with its students. In over a decade of use, Oklahomans have earned over 151,000 certifications, qualifying them for thousands of jobs in the 228 profiled positions with 79 employers. We believe Oklahoma Career Tech may have shown the way, and Oklahoma can leverage the approach statewide to the benefit of all individuals and businesses.

EVIDENCE

ACT offers a wealth of information inclusive of Research, Case Studies and information on Work Ready Communities at the following site. https://www.act.org/content/act/en/workforce-solutions.html To explore Work Ready communities in Oklahoma and across the United States, please see the following link. https://www.workreadycommunities.org/ From the perspective of Economic Development, the following link provides research and resources to help build the ecosystem of support. https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/workkeys-for-workforce-developers.html To explore Case Studies of companies you know well, see the link below. https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/workkeys-for-educators/case-studies-and-research.html And from outside of ACT, Indeed.com, the top rated job site in the world, conducted their own survey. https://www.indeed.com/certifications/view/act-workkeys-national-career-readiness-certificate-ncrc-YI3HW5HH

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

Underserved populations tend to be most impacted when there is an economic downturn, and this pandemic has been no different. Furthermore, underserved populations can be disadvantaged when seeking employment during the early phases of a recovery as they are often competing with more qualified individuals who have certifications, college degrees or both. The goal of the program we are proposing is to equip all individuals seeking employment with the requisite skills and nationally recognized certifications necessary to obtain a position and to be successful in the role.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

As Oklahoma Career Tech focuses on training and placing individuals into jobs, and has approximately fifty centers across the state, ACT envisions leveraging their experience and locations to offer all unemployed individuals the opportunity to avail themselves to WorkKeys curriculum and to the assessments by which they can earn a national credential. Though Oklahoma will set the goals and metrics by which to measure success, we know the baseline that exists in Oklahoma today is: 151,000 certifications have been earned for 228 profiled positions with 79 employers. Doubling these numbers over the five-year project is a good target.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

One-time project will not need continued funding