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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. Following is an overview of some of the sessions:
For educators the session, The Critical Role of WorkKeys in High Scools: Career Ready Graduates Required presented by Cindy Leyrer of Michigan discussed the effectives and much needed development process of working with students from the time they enter high school through completion. The highlights of this session included how a school district can use WorkKeys and KeyTrain from freshman to senior year of high school along with other ACT tools. The school district has developed a comprehensive career preparation system. A timeline which included the use of EXPLORE, PLAN, ACT/WorkKeys for every student was detailed in the session.
For learning about successful state implementations the session, Build a Certificate Program that is Destined for Success by Debra Lyons of Georgia and Keenan Wade of Michigan discussed the key components to each state’s program.
Michigan’s program has been fueled by the efforts of the Advocates group that coordinates meetings and trainings throughout the state. The Advocates group is an effort of frontline professionals who are committed to sharing the best practices around the state. The success of the Michigan program has continued through the change of state administrations. Employer engagement is essential for the individual receiving the NCRC to benefit from the certificate.
The Georgia program discussed by Debra Lyons revealed data showing how the funds will be spent and the return on investment to the state. In 2010, the Georgia Work Ready Initiative will result in 50,000 Certificates and 10,000 jobs at a cost of less than $100 per person.
From a business perspective, Pat Hayes, CEO of Fabric Images in Illinois presented Building Economic Development Partnerships. Building partnerships throughout the community is essential in developing a WorkKeys/NCRC Community. Pat discussed how the efforts of U-46 School District have lead businesses, the Chamber of Commerce and the community college to become involved in recognizing the value of WorkKeys.
Next year’s conference will be held April 18-21, 2011 in Chicago.
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