Thursday, September 02, 2010
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Thursday, September 02, 2010 |
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GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES STATEWIDE WORKFORCE CREDENTIALING PROGRAMOctober 28, 2008Sissonville, WV- Governor Joe Manchin today announced the launch of a statewide workforce credentialing program. WorkKeys is a job skills assessment system developed by ACT, the same company that does testing for college applicants. Under this initiative, job seekers in West Virginia can take WorkKeys assessments that evaluate important on-the-job skills, such as math, reading, and locating information. The Governor will issue Career Readiness Certificates to job seekers who demonstrate their job readiness levels in those areas. A Gold certificate denotes the highest scores, followed by Silver and Bronze certificates. Job seekers who want to improve their scores can get help before re-taking the test. Today’s announcement marks the culmination of a two-year effort to offer Career Readiness Certificates at all WORKFORCE West Virginia seven regions throughout the state. The Benedum Foundation provided funding for a pilot program that resulted in the first certificates being issued in May 2007. Speaking at the NGK plant in Sissonville, a company that has successfully used WorkKeys in recruitment efforts, Governor Manchin pointed out the advantages of a Career Readiness Certificate. “WorkKeys is a win-win tool for both employers and job seekers,” the Governor said. “The assessments help satisfy industry’s demand for certain types of employees or skills, making sure that the job seeker is a good match for their company. That helps reduce employee turnover and increase worker retention. And, WorkKeys provides job seekers with an objective way to demonstrate their skill levels to prospective employers.” “A Career Readiness Certificate program like WorkKeys enables educators, economic developers and businesses to work together toward our common goal of a well-trained workforce,” said Kelley Goes, Commerce Secretary. “WorkKeys helps explain to job seekers the skills they will need for jobs, and it helps educators prepare job seekers and students for success in the workplace.” “The statewide WorkKeys program is an important step in documenting that West Virginia has a workforce with the skills to get the job done,” noted Ron Radcliff, Executive Director of WORKFORCE West Virginia. “It also represents a partnership with WORKFORCE West Virginia and our Community and Technical Colleges, with West Virginia University at Parkersburg (WVU-P) taking the lead.” As an incentive for employers to utilize WorkKeys in the next year, WORKFORCE West Virginia will pay for certain assessments that employers require for a job opening. All WorkKeys information will be included in WORKFORCE West Virginia’s database, giving employers access to a pool of qualified job seekers. For more information about WorkKeys, visit www.workforcewv.org or contact your local WORKFORCE West Virginia Career Center. FACT SHEET FOR JOB SEEKERS FACT SHEET FOR EMPLOYERS |
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