Ready to Work Certification
A systematic approach to recruiting, hiring and retention
Northeast Florida employers express concern about the gaps that exist between the skill sets exhibited by potential workers versus the skill sets required by current and future jobs. In order to address the issue, the State of Florida Department of Education implemented the Florida Ready to Work Initiative in October 2006.
The initiative is designed to address the workforce development needs of both employers and students in Florida. The three-step process includes:
- Assessment using ACT’s WorkKeys®
- Instruction to remediate the workplace skill gaps
- A job profiling process used to identify skill requirements specific to the Florida Workforce
Interested in learning more?
Shands Jacksonville Medical Center implemented WokKeys Assessments to improve Employee Satisfaction and Patient Care.
Job Seeker ASSESSMENT
Using ACT’s WorkKeys® as an assessment tool, the program measures a job seeker’s job skills to provide employers with a consistent, nationally recognized standard of the job skills an individual possesses. Job seekers who move through Ready to Work and become “work ready” can prove their workplace skills to potential employers with the Florida Ready to Work Credential.
The Ready to Work assessments focus on:
- Applied mathematics
- Reading for information
- Locating information
The assessment process is proctored, and these three areas test the work skills required for more than 85 percent of all jobs today.
Job PROFILING
To help employers identify the skills and skill levels needed for a specific job, Florida Ready to Work offers job profiling.
Job profiling includes:
- Collecting job task information from the company
- Interviews and focus groups with employees and managers
- On-the-job observation of employees at work
- Review and analysis of national job data
Employers receive a detailed, customized report listing all job-related tasks, key skills and corresponding skill levels required for a specific job. Job profiles are Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)-compliant and in more than 15 years have never been legally challenged.
Matching job profiles to job seeker credentials can help you make more effective hiring and training decisions.
Become a Florida Ready to Work Employer
Businesses are using WorkKeys® for:
- Recruitment
- Selection
- Pre employment
- Internal career opportunities
- Incumbent employee training and development
- Training program alignment
- Succession planning and career laddering
- Job and wage classification
- Outplacement programs/rapid response
Companies can expect:
- Recruiting efficiency by qualifying applicant pools
- Reduced risk from legal challenges
- Reduced employee time to competency
- Improved training programs by aligning curricula
Proven return on investment (ROI):
- Reduced turnover
- Improved employee productivity
- Reduction in waste and improved quality
Community colleges, secondary schools, workforce education programs, the Department of Juvenile Justice, regional workforce boards such as WorkSource, and many other partners have joined the initiative. The University of North Florida, Division of Continuing Education, also recently joined this initiative with the vision of working with employers on the demand side, showing you how to implement the WorkKeys® system into your training and workforce development culture.
For more information regarding WorkKeys® assessment, contact Candace Moody.
For more info on profiling jobs, contact Robert Wood, UNF's Dean of Continuing Education at (904) 620-4288.