FAQs

What is the National Work Readiness Credential?
The National Work Readiness Credential is a certification of work readiness for entry-level work as defined by employers. It is the first national, standards-based assessment for entry-level workers to provide a universal, transferable, national standard for work readiness. Entry level jobs are defined as non-supervisory, non-managerial, non-professional positions. These may be unskilled positions, or they may be skilled positions where the required job-specific skills can be learned while on the job.

What is the National Work Readiness Credential based upon?
The National Work Readiness Credential is based upon the nationally validated Equipped for the Future (EFF) applied learning standards, which were created as part of the National Institute for Literacy's ten-year standards development initiative.

Where can I find more information on Equipped for the Future (EFF) applied learning standards?
For more information, please visit EFF online.

What organization will administer and manage the certification process?
The seven development partners (District of Columbia, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Washington and JA Worldwide) have established the National Work Readiness Council in Washington, DC. The National Work Readiness Council has made an application to be a 501(c)3 organization that will be responsible for administering the oversight and management of the certification process. A Board of Directors for the new organization has been established and an Executive Director, Louis Soares, was brought on board in October 2006.

How will the assessment be delivered?
It will be a delivered via a secure web-based system.

Who is going to deliver and manage the assessment process?
The National Work Readiness Council has contracted with CASTLE Worldwide to deliver and manage the National Work Readiness Credential assessment. Founded in 1987, CASTLE Worldwide is one of the nation’s leading certification and licensure testing companies. Located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, CASTLE Worldwide offers examination design, development and administration services. Further information about CASTLE Worldwide is available on the company’s web site.

How long will it take an individual to complete the assessment?
It is anticipated that an individual will be able to complete the assessment within 2 1/2 hours.

What is the composition of the assessment?
The assessment includes four modules—situational judgment, oral language, reading with understanding, and using math to solve problems—which can be completed separately or all together.

Which skills are assessed?
The National Work Readiness Credential assessment has four modules that assess whether the test-taker can use nine (9) skills well enough to carry out critical entry-level tasks and responsibilities. Businesses from across industry sectors identified these skills as critical for entry-level workers to succeed in today's workplace and global economy:
1. Speak so others can understand
2. Listen actively
3. Solve problems and make decisions
4. Cooperate with others
5. Resolve conflicts and negotiate
6. Observe critically
7. Take responsibility for learning
8. Read with understanding
9. Use math to solve problems

What skills are measured in the situational judgment assessment?
- The ability to cooperate with others
- Conflict resolution and negotiation
- The ability to observe critically
- Problem solving and decision making
- Taking responsibility for learning

Who owns the National Work Readiness Credential?
The seven development partners—the District of Columbia, Florida, JA Worldwide, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Washington—are the owners of the National Work Readiness Credential.

Who are the contacts for the seven development partners?
District of Columbia: Connie Spinner, director, DC State Agency for Adult Education
Florida: Andra Cornelius, vice president of business outreach, Workforce Florida
JA Worldwide: Darrell A. Luzzo, senior vice president of education
New Jersey: Henry Plotkin, executive director, New Jersey State Employment and training Commission
New York: Maggie Moree, deputy commissioner, Federal Programs, New York State Department of Labor
Rhode Island: Kip Bergstrom, executive director, Rhode Island Economic Policy Council
Washington: Pam Lund, associate director of the partnerships team, Washington Training and Education Coordinating Board

Why did JA Worldwide become a founding partner of the National Work Readiness Credential?
JA Worldwide (JA) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization that reaches more than seven million students worldwide through programs that prepare middle and high school students for future economic and workforce issues they will face, as well as programs that teach elementary school children how they can impact the world around them as individuals, workers and consumers. JA joined the project in order to work with other state and national partners in building and disseminating a National Work Readiness Credential that will enable more young people and adults across the country to demonstrate they have the knowledge and skills to contribute to the 21st Century workplace. JA plans to integrate preparation for the NWRC into its programs for secondary school students. JA programs in Cleveland and San Francisco participated in the field test process as a first step toward this goal.

When will the National Work Readiness Credential be available for use?
The National Work Readiness Credential began a targeted “soft” launch in September 2006 in approximately 50 sites around the country. The full launch of the Work Readiness Credential will begin in January 2007.

Which organizations provided the technical guidance for the development of the Work Readiness Credential?
SRI International, an independent, not-for-profit, science and knowledge-based research and consulting organization, led a team of research and development organizations in designing the National Work Readiness Credential. Other team members included technical experts from BMC Associates, the Center for Applied Linguistics, HumRRO, University of Tennessee's Center for Literacy Studies, and WestED.

What is the role of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW)?
ICW supports the development of the National Work Readiness Credential and markets it to employers. CWP believes that the Credential is an important step toward a portable national standard of the soft skills needed by entry-level workers to be successful in today's workplace. In a recent ICW survey of chambers of commerce, trade associations and businesses, "hiring entry-level workers" was one of the three biggest short-term needs identified by survey respondents. The National Work Readiness Credential addresses this need.

What is the value to employers?
The National Work Readiness Credential is based on a business-defined standard of the critical skills needed by entry-level workers. Employers using the credential will reduce recruitment costs, improve productivity, minimize turnover, and lower on-the-job training costs by being able to confidently hire entry-level workers who can:
- Complete work accurately, on time, and to a high standard of quality
- Work in teams to achieve mutual goals and objectives
- Follow work-related rules and regulations
- Demonstrate willingness to work and show initiative
- Display responsible behaviors at work, including avoiding absenteeism and demonstrating promptness

What is the benefit for the public workforce development system?
The National Work Readiness Credential can:
- Improve the focus, alignment, and accountability of the workforce development system
- Facilitate a common understanding among employers, workers and educators about the skills necessary to obtain entry-level employment
- Help align the system to a common goal
- Promote the development of training programs that are appropriate to the needs of employers and job seekers
- Provide a single set of standards to assess program performance and hold vendors accountable

How will the National Work Readiness Credential help job seekers?
The National Work Readiness Credential enables job seekers to demonstrate to prospective employers that they have the knowledge and skills needed for successful performance as entry-level workers. Entry-level workers benefit from the Credential because the Credential:
- Is the first step on a career path
- Helps entry-level workers identify the skills they need to strengthen to carry out entry-level tasks
- Provides entry-level workers with the skills they need to actively pursue advancement in the workplace

How is the oral language test (OLT) administered?
The OLT is based on the Computerized Oral Proficiency Instrument model. This model uses technology to provide a valid surrogate for a face-to-face oral proficiency interview. Trained evaluators will score recorded responses using criteria aligned with the EFF skills “Listen Actively” and “Speak So Others Can Understand.”

What does the score on the assessment mean?
An individual's “score” on this assessment will indicate whether an individual is “work ready” or “needs more skill development to be work ready.”

What will happen if an individual finds out he/she is in need of more skill development to be work ready?
The individual will be referred to an appropriate education and training provider for skill development.

Is there curriculum that accompanies the assessment?
Getting Ready for the National Work Readiness Credential is a guide that provides workforce preparation trainers and instructors with information on how to help entry-level job seekers develop the skills and knowledge necessary to meet the standard for work readiness defined by the NWRC. The NWRC standard builds on the solid research foundation of the Equipped for the Future (EFF) Standards Framework, which defines the overall goal of adult learning as helping all adults develop and enhance their skills and knowledge so that they can better carry out their responsibilities as citizens, family members and workers.

To prepare job seekers to pass the NWRC assessment, trainers and instructors need to help them develop proficiency in the EFF skills to a level that will allow them to successfully carry out critical entry-level tasks and behaviors. This guide facilitates the learning process by:
- Explaining the NWRC Profile
- Describing the EFF skills in detail, with a focus on how the skills are linked to the tasks, and to a specific level of performance associated with those tasks
- Providing specific steps describing how instructors and trainers can help job seekers improve their proficiency in relevant EFF skills linked to entry-level tasks
- Providing links to curriculum and teaching materials

What is the relationship between the National Work Readiness Credential and industry-specific certifications?
The National Work Readiness Credential can serve as the first step to help individuals entering the job market move successfully into entry-level jobs; and then from there, move along a continuum through increasingly skilled occupational certifications into a satisfying career and work that pays well enough to support a family, and presents prospects for future growth and development.

Where can the National Work Readiness Credential be administered?
Initially, the National Work Readiness Credential will be administered through the public workforce system's One-Stop Career Centers in the six founding states (FL, NJ, NY, RI, WA and the District of Columbia) and as part of the JA Worldwide high school curriculum. Because the assessment will be available through a web-based delivery system via a secure server, it will be able to be administered by community colleges, other education and training providers, and employers.

What is the relationship to a high school diploma, GED, and postsecondary education?
The National Work Readiness Credential is not intended to replace academics, high school, or postsecondary education. Instead, it addresses the ability of an individual to perform basic entry-level tasks.

Is the assessment valid and reliable?
To ensure that the National Work Readiness Credential meets the highest standards and is legally defensible as a predictor of competent entry-level work, the development and validation of the credential and assessment have been guided by the AERA/APA/NCME Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (1999) and by the Uniform Employee Selection Guidelines (CFR 28.50.14) adopted by the EEOC, the Civil Service Commission, the US Department of Labor, and the US Department of Justice to provide a framework for proper use of tests and other selection procedures. Special attention has been given to these guidelines in the methods, samples, and procedures used to:
- Define the work readiness profile of tasks and behaviors that are important to entry-level work in multiple work situations in multiple industry clusters and the skills and knowledge that are important to competent performance of those work tasks and work behaviors
- Develop instruments that assess whether individuals can use their knowledge and skills to solve work-related problems at a level that is commensurate with the entry-level profile defined by business
- Validate the instruments/assessment package, including use of a sample that is of sufficient size and diversity to determine whether it is a fair assessment package and a valid predictor of competent entry-level work

Have the National Work Readiness Credential field tests been completed?
Yes, the field tests have been completed. Field tests were conducted in the six states and by the national partners that are developing the NWRC. Due to nationwide interest, additional field test sites were added in Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; Louisville, KY; Cleveland, OH; and Midland, TX. Data collected from the field tests confirmed that:
• The National Work Readiness Credential profile is a valid description of the requirements of entry-level work
• The National Work Readiness Credential assessments are valid and reliable instruments for measuring that profile

As the test becomes operational, longitudinal data on test takers will be collected that will enable the National Work Readiness Council to determine how well the Credential predicts competent entry-level work.

Contact:
Dale Coachman
Program Coordinator
Institute for a Competitive Workforce
dcoachman@uschamber.com
202-463-5581