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Summer Youth Programs Heat Up
It’s summer again…if not yet officially, certainly as far as Summer Youth programs go. And now, with a year of recent experience under their belts, Summer Youth program organizers are heading into this season with new ideas and goals of improving upon last year.
The 2009 Scenario
At this time a year ago, there was an air of excitement about the new programs funded by ARRA and Summer Youth was in the forefront with a pressing timeline. The excitement carried with it a justifiable amount of stress from funding that was promised but in some cases not yet present, expectations of creativity, and certain demands for results and measurement that could be interpreted in an assortment of ways. The Summer Youth funding came with various messages. The Employment and Training Administration’s guidance letter was clear in stating that the funding should be spent wisely – in ways that would truly help our youth; and quickly – most of the summer youth funding should be spent by the end of summer 2009. Assembling a great summer program in this timeframe presented quite a challenge, given that the funds really were not available until June.
Quickly and Wisely
Some notable programs chose to focus on the more local aspects of their programs – the parts that only they could do – while relying on proven tools for more global aspects of the program like career readiness preparation and measurement. Among these tools were the National Career Readiness Certificate and Career Ready 101, both highly ranked by the DOL as valuable tools for America’s job seekers. This approach proved valuable for programs in Tennessee and Oklahoma among others.
In order to serve 672 students in 7 counties, Local Workforce Investment Area 12 in Tennessee designed their program in blocks, using Career Ready 101 in the first week and last week with worksite experience concentrated in the middle weeks. Each student was tested with WorkKeys Reading for Information, Applied Mathematics, and Locating Information in order to allow them the opportunity to achieve a National Career Readiness Certificate – which was a key in meeting measurement goals in career readiness as required by ETA.
The State of Oklahoma chose to make use of KeyTrain’s turnkey program, Career Ready 101, to tackle the training piece of their summer programs in one fell swoop.
Note: Much of this content was presented in our June 3rd webinar: Summer Youth and Credentials: Best Practices in Measurement and Results, which can be viewed in a recorded version at www.keytrainnews.com/summeryouth.htm. Don’t miss our next webinar about the key role of career readiness in Green Jobs – date and time to be announced soon!
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Vermont NCRC Program: A quick start on the right path
Vermont has joined the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) movement in a big way – engaging businesses, motivating Certificate candidates, and outlining a clear approach to skilling up. As with other successful programs that came before them, they are building demand for the certificate and supply of candidates in tandem – an approach that can be challenging at times, but one that will create quick initial accomplishments and long-term program success.
Certificate-holder Supply
In Vermont, the NCRC is the culmination of a 10-week program run through the Community College of Vermont (CCV) in partnership with the Vermont Department of Labor. This program is being run in cohorts at both CCV sites and business locations around the state with approximately 10 -20 people per section. As the 22nd section of this program moves toward completion, the State is reporting that 98% of people who finished the program earned an NCRC!
Certificate Demand
Businesses in the state are learning more about this program and the value that the NCRC can offer them. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has profiled jobs in Vermont, is dedicating 7 sections of the course to incumbent workers in their two Vermont plants, and has even started exporting this process to plants in other parts of the country including a plant near Knoxville, Tennessee. Other organizations, including Rutland Regional Medical Center, have run the program for incumbent workers. While the state does not have vast numbers of large businesses, smaller businesses are being encouraged to participate and are beginning to understand the program and its benefits.
Tangibles and Intangibles
Tiffany Keune, the state coordinator of the Career Readiness program reports that participants have professed that earning a national credential such as the NCRC is a highly valued aspect to the program. It is a portable credential that they earn and keep. They also have been clear that they enjoy their time on the KeyTrain system and feel as though the program was designed with adults in mind. They believe that the way this system appears on the screen is inviting to them and they are engaged in developing their skills.
Motivation, self-confidence, a desire to learn, higher skills and a tangible certificate valued by businesses are just a few of the benefits being realized by candidates and employers. At this stage, the program shows early signs of great things to come!
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Illinois School District U-46 Awards over 600 NCRCs
School District U-46, in conjunction with Education for Employment (EFE) Region 110 consisting of many area school districts and Elgin Community College, held a National Career Readiness Certification (NCRC) Celebration reception for students who received the NCRC in May. School District U-46 is located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and is the second largest school district in Illinois. In addition to recognizing students who have attained their NCRC certification, the event provided an open house for students and parents to network with local employers who accept NCRC certification.
Speakers at the event included Dr. José M. Torres, Superintendent of School District U-46, Dr. David Sam, President of Elgin Chamber of Commerce, and Patrick Hayes, owner of Fabric Images. This year, 619 U-46 students received their National Career Readiness Certification, a dramatic increase from prior years. To earn the certification, students voluntarily take a third WorkKeys test beyond the two tests required on the Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE). The WorkKeys tests necessary to achieve an NCRC are: Reading for Information, Applied Mathematics, and Locating Information. Students are awarded certificates of bronze, silver, gold or platinum level based on their skills and achievement on the three WorkKeys tests.
Carol DePue, Career and Technical Education Coordinator said "The NCRC initiative in Elgin, 1,500 NCRC recipients to date, has created an opportunity for education, business, and government to partner at the local, regional, state, and national level to ensure that we are preparing a highly qualified future workforce armed with a credential that validates specific Reading for Information, Applied Math, and Locating Information skill level achievement."
Platinum certification, new this year, is achieved by earning a score of level 6 or above on the Reading for Information, Applied Math, and Locating Information WorkKeys tests. This level of achievement is only accomplished by one percent of persons nationally and qualifies the recipient for all identified entry level positions as profiled by ACT. Four U-46 seniors received their Platinum Level NCRC for 2010, including:
1) South Elgin High School Andrew Boston
2) Bartlett High School Courtney Bernat Christopher Fry
3) Streamwood High School Katherine Villena
Several local employers recruiting students at the NCRC reception included Agency Staffing, Fabric Images, Krisdee & Associates, Hendricksen, Arthur J. Rogers & Company, Books at Sunset, and Hoffer Plastics.
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New Resources – NOW AVAILABLE:
 KeyTrain has recently released a new “High School Implementation Guide.” The transition to college- and career-ready standards currently underway for many states will entail an upgrade or revision of state curricula and assessments in reading and math, one that includes the applied skills needed to learn and succeed in the workplace. While the federal focus on college- and career-readiness is new, many states have established career readiness systems in workforce development programs, secondary schools, and two year colleges using the WorkKeys® job skills assessment system and KeyTrain® workplace curriculum. This guide was developed by assembling best practices and processes that are used by many schools throughout the country. Topics covered in this guide include State Graduation/Exit Test Preparation, KeyTrain as a Stand-Alone Course, Career and Technical Education, Credit Recovery, Special Needs Students, Working with ESOL Students, GED Preparation, and KeyTrain Integration in Core Curriculum.
At the Workforce 2010 Conference this year, ACT unveiled their new publication “The National Career Readiness Certificate Employer Handbook.” This handbook is designed to help maximize the benefits of the Career Readiness Certificates by assisting the people who will be responsible for implementing the NCRC at businesses. It offers guidance to enhance your knowledge of the credential and describes processes that will accelerate program implementation. The handbook is arranged in four sections to facilitate a fast and effective use of the certificate in businesses. The sections are: Quick Start Guide: An overview of the implementation steps that will help you get started immediately and will demonstrate how easily the system can be integrated into your practices and processes; Resources: Documents included for your use in the Quick Start, such as training outlines, sample announcements, and brochures. Resources are marked throughout the Quick Start section with a red star; Details: A deeper look at the various components and principles of the NCRC to help you more fully appreciate the benefits that can be realized; Frequently Asked Questions: Answers to questions that are commonly asked about the National Career Readiness Certificate. To request a copies of either of these please email Jodi@keytrain.com. Please indicate which you want – High School Guide or Employer Handbook or BOTH.
Workforce 2010 Convenes the Nation's Workforce Leaders
Over three – hundred workforce professionals attended ACT’s Workforce 2010 Conference (formerly National WorkKeys Conference) held in Philadelphia April 27-30. The conference was an opportunity for workforce professionals to learn about the latest trends, best practices and issues from across the United States.
Keynote speakers included Andy Levin, Chief Workforce Officer for the State of Michigan and Martin Scaglione, President of ACT’s Workforce Development Division. Topics centered on preparing our nation’s workforce for careers and the respective roles of state government, WIA, community colleges, and secondary education. It is clear that the National Career Readiness Certificate and its supporting skills development tools, KeyTrain and Career Ready 101, play an important role in the national movement to create, document, and maintain a skilled workforce.
Sessions throughout the three-day conference demonstrated the importance of these foundational skill-building tools in closing the nation’s skills gap and in preparing our future workforce for careers that will provide livable wages and will sustain the US economy. Many of the sessions presented included the success of how KeyTrain is an integral part of the program. For an overview of some of the sessions, please click below for the full article.
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Meet KeyTrain - Jill Ralph
"Thinking Media, may I help you?" If you've ever called KeyTrain, you've heard this very recognizable greeting. Yes, Jill is the distinct voice of KeyTrain, though her role as Office Manager is what truly makes her irreplaceable.
Jill has been with Thinking Media since almost the very beginning and her institutional knowledge is rivaled only by our owners, Dane and Sheila Boyington. One of just a handful of people with Super Administrator access to KeyTrain, Jill is often the person who will set up new organizations as new clients come on board with KeyTrain - and that happens VERY frequently. She is in charge of billing, invoice processing, order reporting, purchase orders, and even provides some first-level technical support. Jill also handles contract renewals - so if your KeyTrain or Career Ready 101 license is expiring soon, you will probably get to speak with Jill!
Jill has a degree in History from the University of Illinois, has held positions on Capitol Hill, and has extensive experience in high school systems in the past. Finally, she is considered by some to be the best proofreader on the planet - her expert eye sees all marketing materials, proposals, and much of the curriculum before publishing.
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