With the support from the 93rd General Assembly and the State Board of Education, high school students have the opportunity to earn a nationally-recognized work readiness certificate before they graduate.
The passage of Senate Bill 31, which became Act 319 of 2021, prompted the State Board of Education to approve the ACT WorkKeys assessment for this purpose on May 13, 2021.
Booneville High School had 25 seniors take the WorkKeys Assessment in April. Twenty-two of the students earned a certificate!
Platinum—Emma Mikles, Cameron Osborne
Gold—Dunn Daniel, Peyton Tatum, Elizabeth Gray, Karmen Kent, Leigh Swint
Silver—Sara Ulmer, Brooklyn Keeter, Alyssa Nichols, Brooklyn Elmore, Ben Riggs, Camdyn Dove, David Hicks, Emily Suttles
Bronze—Brenden Dove, Carah Miller, Jozelyn Porter, Layla Byrum, Natalie Miller, Haven Herrera, Brooks Herrera
The WorkKeys assessment measures the essential work skills needed for success in jobs across industries and occupations and represents work readiness through the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC®). The primary purpose of the NCRC is to provide students with a workplace certification that represents their knowledge and skills in Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents.
The goal is for every student to take both the grade 11 ACT and WorkKeys assessments through the state’s comprehensive assessment system.
Benefits of WorkKeys and the NCRC for Students
The NCRC is a portable credential with no expiration date; it verifies to employers that a student possesses the workplace skills needed to be successful.:
Bronze - indicates the skills required for 17% of ACT-profiled jobs
Silver - indicates the skills required for 69% of ACT-profiled job
Gold - indicates the skills required for 93% of ACT-profiled jobs
Platinum - indicates the skills required for 99% of ACT-profiled jobs
All students, college or career bound, benefit from the WorkKeys curriculum and outcomes, including the connection to the ACT exam.
Many employers across Arkansas are using the nationally-recognized credential as a pre-employment requirement for the application process.
Students obtain employment after high school graduation and are offered higher paying positions because they have earned the NCRC.
WorkKeys becomes a critical component of every student’s success plan.