News

The current education system relies heavily on traditional degrees, limiting adult learners and disproportionately affecting people of color. Employers value 21st-century skills, but confusion persists due to the proliferation of diverse credentials. Guest Melissa Goldberg joins Episode 41 of Ready for Work to showcase Credentials As You Go. This framework provides the redesign needed for economic realities, equity, and clarification, with implications for politics and workforce preparation. 

ACT's Ready for Work podcast migrated to Spotify to enable additional features for the future. Any podcast app works great as well with our revised podcast feed.

The Monadnock Shopper News reported recently on the success of Work Ready New Hampshire and Whelen Engineering in Charleston, NH.  In addition to the certificate from Work Ready New Hampshire, trainees also earned the WorkKeys NCRC.

Early this month, Mike Smith, Executive Director of Crossett Economic Development Foundation and ACT Work Ready Communities Team Leader for Ashley County, received notification from ACT that Ashley County has achieved the goal of “Maintaining” ACT Work Ready Community (WRC) status. 

A half-million dollar grant headed to Marengo High School in Alabama will fund virtual reality career tech classrooms, robotics program, and a four-day boot camp with WorkKeys.

12.3 million learners across the country are enrolled in career and technical education (CTE) programs, making community colleges and CTE centers a critical hub for innovative, skill-based education and training programs—helping meet the country's very real and immediate challenges of student achievement, workforce development, and economic competitiveness. Learn how to partner with ACT to harness ACT^® WorkKeys^® Assessment data to align with employer benchmarks, strengthen program and institutional accreditation, and meet employer standards—to promote a stronger workforce ecosystem.  Learn more and register today for the webinar slated for September 20th. 

Five years ago, Hagerstown Community College President Jim Klauber proposed the idea of Washington County working to achieve ACT Work Ready Community status. That goal is now a reality, with 106 businesses having signed up to participate in the program. 
 

“I’ve seen the success of this program first-hand in other communities and I’m excited to watch its positive impact here,” said Klauber. “These businesses are quickly seeing the value of working with this designation. The power of broad partnerships, using WorkKeys NCRC and attaining the ACT Work Ready Community designation, will take our economic development to the next level.”

WRCLive! for August 17th is a double feature. Check out the flier for more information and the link to register.

With recently granted National Reporting Service provisions, WorkKey Applied Math and Workplace Documents assessments may now be deployed to document Educational Functioning Level. Improvements to the assessment flow help workforce programs accomplish more with less and enhance the overall customer experience. By aligning job tasks and training deliverables with skill benchmarks, employers enjoy stronger retention, productivity, safety, and equity.  This innovative skills-first approach accelerates skill outcomes, apprenticeship completion, and stackable credential attainment.

Josh Duplantis, Ph.D., dean of workforce and economic development at Coastal Alabama Community College in Bay Minette, Alabama, joined ACT at the ACT Workforce Summit last fall to talk workforce and workforce preparation. He shared information about what groups of people need immediate workplace support — all of them! — and expanded by discussing the importance of mentorship.

Josh also speaks to how important micro-credentialing in the stackable model are in building learner confidence, especially for transitional workers who have been “on the sidelines” and not as involved in the workforce or for workers who live in rural communities. Learn more by watching Josh’s interview.