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The
Career Readiness Certificate Consortium
In
January 2004, with leadership from Virginia, seven states (TN,
WV, KY, DC, MD, NC and VA) formed the Career Readiness Certificate
Consortium (Consortium). No state was asked to contribute
funds or in any way commit resources to the effort. The idea
of a Consortium was conceived to provide a support mechanism
for and practical help to all states, particularly for those
just embarking on the project.
The Consortium was comprised of states in very different stages
of development of a portable skills credential based on WorkKeys®
assessments. For example, Kentucky
had been issuing its own Kentucky Employability Certificate
for a year, Virginia was quickly advancing to deployment of
its Career Readiness Certificate, and Maryland and
DC were only just beginning to look at WorkKeys®
scores as the language of skill sets. All other states fell
somewhere in between.
By the end of 2004, another 5 states had asked to join the Consortium,
and this interest and enthusiasm continued into 2005. At a meeting
of the Consortium in May 2007, 14 states were represented, and
it has grown tremendously since then.
Since
March 2007, the Consortium has been administratively supported
by the National Organization for Career
Credentialing (www.nationalocc.org)
In
September 2006, ACT™ announced a national CRC initiative.
This ACT certificate is IDENTICAL to all other CRCs. It
is not more transportable or of a higher level.
It is important to note that it is NOT necessary to be affiliated with ACT
in order to issue CRC's in your state or organization.
Several organizations and states (e.g.
the Commonwealth of Virginia) continue to issue their own CRCs
and are unaffiliated with ACT. Please contact the NOCC
office for more details.
In
September 2006, The CRC Handbook:
Implementing the Career Readiness Certificate
was released across the country. An updated and expanded
second edition is available at no charge from the NOCC site
(www.nationalOCC.org/resources).
The table below shows the approximate number of CRC's issued
as of February 7, 2016.
STATE |
TOTAL |
BRONZE |
SILVER |
GOLD |
PLATINUM |
AK |
41,579 |
|
|
|
|
AL |
|
|
|
|
|
AR |
64,815 |
|
|
|
|
AZ |
5,763 |
|
|
|
|
CA |
9,162 |
|
|
|
|
CO |
|
|
|
|
5
|
CT |
2,386 |
|
|
|
2 |
DE |
234 |
|
|
|
|
FL |
114,044 |
|
|
|
|
GA |
332,210 |
|
|
61,082
|
|
HI |
412 |
|
|
|
|
IA |
75,824 |
|
|
|
|
ID |
90 |
|
|
|
|
IL |
149,733 |
|
|
|
1,745
|
IN |
114,670 |
21,777
|
68,122
|
24,227
|
544
|
KS |
34,620 |
5872
|
19,238
|
|
|
KY |
|
|
|
20,534
|
435
|
LA |
50,801 |
15,772
|
27,873
|
6,982
|
174
|
MA |
531 |
144
|
295
|
91
|
1 |
MD |
430 |
99
|
244
|
85
|
2 |
ME |
81 |
9
|
46
|
26
|
|
MI |
506,677 |
120,467
|
257,990
|
124,914
|
3,346
|
MN |
22,474 |
3,796
|
12,259
|
6,250 |
169
|
MO |
66,993 |
|
38,826
|
14,659
|
|
MS |
28,
286 |
|
|
|
|
MT |
1,572 |
339
|
894
|
328
|
11
|
NC |
287,881 |
66,521
|
168,508
|
52,054
|
798 |
ND |
568 |
134
|
|
112
|
|
NE |
881 |
204
|
490
|
183
|
4
|
NH |
|
|
|
|
16
|
NJ |
592 |
|
|
|
|
NM |
24,709 |
|
|
|
|
NV |
3,981 |
|
|
|
|
NY |
|
|
|
|
|
OH |
129,157 |
|
|
|
|
OK |
124,981 |
|
|
|
556
|
OR |
50,166 |
|
|
|
|
PA |
25,081 |
|
|
|
|
RI |
772 |
|
|
|
1 |
SC |
300,932 |
|
|
|
737
|
SD |
12,884 |
|
|
|
|
TN |
107,035 |
|
|
|
|
TX |
17,693 |
|
|
|
|
UT |
|
410
|
1,907
|
1,035
|
23
|
VA |
86,931 |
|
|
|
|
VT |
2,579 |
|
|
|
|
WA |
4,065 |
|
|
|
|
WA (DC) |
53 |
20 |
26 |
5 |
2 |
WV |
|
|
|
|
|
WI |
68,197 |
|
|
|
|
WY |
7,928 |
|
|
|
|
|
3,127,533 |
|
|
|
|
There
is considerable variation in how each state is deploying its
credential. In some states, the CRC is state-sanctioned, authorized
by the state WIB and signed by the governor. In others, the
state technical or community college system is taking the
lead. In several states, the initiative is regional or local.
Many states are now using the CRC as the basis for a workready community designation.
Several states issue enhanced certificates called CRC+ certificates. The + indicates that additional assessments have been added to the three WorkKeys assessments that designate the CRC. Examples include CRC+ (Health Care), and CRC+ (Manufacturing technician).
The NCRC+
ranks individuals in the following soft skills categories:
Work
Discipline:
Productivity and dependability
Teamwork: Tolerance, communication,
and attitude
Customer Service Orientation:
Interpersonal skills and perseverance
Managerial Potential: Persuasion,
enthusiasm, and problem solving
The
NCRC Plus ranks individuals with 1–4 stars in each
of the categories listed above. Higher numbers of stars
reflect personal characteristics that indicate stronger
inclination for success. Individuals can earn the
NCRC Plus by taking the WorkKeys Talent assessment.
Please visit "News From The
States" for more details.
Several states are now using the CRC as the basis for designating Workready Communities.
The key thing in what has become
a national movement is the fact that so many states agree on
the following:
1) There is a need for a portable skills credential
based on a common language, easily understood by employers,
educators, and citizens;
2) This common language should be WorkKeys®;
3) The three WorkKeys®
assessments that should form the basis of the credential are Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, and Reading
For Information;
4) The credential should be multi-level;
5) The scores for each level should be 3's
for Bronze, 4's for Silver, and 5's for Gold.
(Note: KY and IN issue only the Silver and Gold levels)
This represents more agreement between states than has
been witnessed on almost any other initiative!
The
Consortium is supported by the National Organization for Career
Credentialing (www.nationalOCC.org)
The
NOCC Board of Directors/Officers are:
Dr.
Barbara Bolin, Michigan--President/Treasurer
Robin
Fiddes, American Packaging Corporation, Texas--Secretary
John
S. Palmer, Jr., Michigan
Tim
Kelly--Michigan
Dr.
Blossom Burton, Transition Youth International, New Jersey
For
more information on the Consortium, contact the NOCC.
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