Arkansas Career Readiness Certificate Video Script

Governor Mike Beebe

I'm Governor Mike Beebe. In Arkansas, we understand that every company is only as good as the people who are working to sustain and build it. That's why we are taking steps to ensure that the workforce in our state is among the most qualified in the nation.

If you're a company leader looking for a new way to find skilled and trainable employees, take a few moments to learn about the Arkansas Career Readiness Certificate Program. It's designed to reduce your employee turnover while increasing your productivity. An individual who attains the certificate has proof that the state has confidence in him. In completing our program, workers gain essential workplace skills. Finding the critical information in documents, from memos, letters and charts to reading and applying procedures and instructions or using math skills, our certified workforce is ready and willing to put their abilities to work for you.

If you're a job seeker, the program will help you develop the 21st-century skills you need to succeed in today's workforce.

I hope you will join the many Arkansans already finding success in the Career Readiness Certificate Program.

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What if you could know beyond the shadow of a doubt that all of your employees had the basic skills necessary to succeed?

What if you didn't have to waste valuable time sifting through job applications wondering who to interview?

What if you could reduce your turnover rate instantly and lower training costs?
In Arkansas, you can. Thanks to a partnership between institutions of higher education and the Department of Workforce Services, it's becoming easier for businesses and industries in the private sector to find skilled, qualified employees.

Arkansas has implemented the ACT WorkKeys® Assessment System as part of a Career Readiness Certificate Program.

Artee Williams / Director / Arkansas Department of Workforce Services

BEFORE THE CAREER READINESS CERTIFICATE PROGRAM WAS IMPLEMENTED IN ARKANSAS, EMPLOYERS WERE HAVING GREAT DIFFICUTLY RECRUITING AND RETAINING WORKERS. THERE WERE INCIDENTS OF HIGH TURNOVER, ABSENTEEISM, LOW MORALE, EVEN LOW EXPECTATIONS FOR THE JOB. SINCE THE PROGRAM HAS IMPLEMENTED THERE HAS BEEN A REMARKABLE INCREASE IN THE ABILITY OF EMPLOYERS TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN WORKERS, REDUCTION IN ABSENTEEISM, TURNOVER, EVEN AN INCREASE IN MORALE. THE PROGRAM ACTUALLY CERTIFIES TO EMPLOYERS THAT APPLICANTS ARE IN FACT JOB-READY.

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The Career Readiness Certificate is nationally recognized as a workplace credential, and it ensures potential employers job applicants possess practical skills beyond a GED, high school diploma or even a post-secondary degree.

And while some credentials and screening processes can be expensive for employers and applicants, the Career Readiness Program is free to both the job seekers and the employers that use it. Not only is it free, it's accessible no matter where you are in Arkansas.

Twenty-two two-year colleges, 52 Adult Education Centers, 32 Workforce Centers and 10 Local Workforce Investment Areas provide training and assessment opportunities in every corner of the state.

Becky Thompson / Deputy Director of Global Business / Arkansas Economic Development Commission

GOVERNOR BEEBE HAS INDICATED THAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION GO HAND-IN-HAND, AND THIS IS ONE OF HIS PRIORITIES. THROUGH CRC, WE HAVE ASSURANCE THAT THERE IS A CONNECTION BETWEEN OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM AND OUR BUSINESS AND INDUSTRIES IN ARKANSAS.

Artee Williams / Director / Arkansas Department of Workforce Services

THE CAREER READINESS CERTIFICATE PROGRAM DOES PROVIDE A COMMON LANGUAGE FOR BOTH EMPLOYERS, JOB SEEKERS AND EDUCATORS. IT DOES NOT FOCUS ON A GRADE LEVEL, BUT A SKILL LEVEL THAT INDICATES TO EMPLOYERS THAT A JOB APPLICANT CAN BE SUCCESSFUL ON THE JOB.

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To earn an Arkansas Career Readiness Certificate, individuals must demonstrate they have the skills required to succeed in the 21st century work environment.

By using the WorkKeys® employability assessment system, potential employees are tested in three key areas: Reading for Information, Applied Mathematics and Locating Information.

Research shows these three skills are highly important to the majority of jobs in today's workplace and can provide value across multiple industries. In fact, Arkansas companies ranging from automotive and alternative energy manufacturers to those that focus on technology-based business solutions have all seen the impact the Career Readiness Program can make with screening, hiring and training new employees.

John Barber / Senior Advisor / Hino

WHEN WE STARTED USING THE CAREER READINESS CERTIFICATE AS A SCREENING TOOL, WE KNEW THAT WE WERE GONNA TO GET A COMMONALITY AMONG OUR PARTICIPANTS. AND THIS HAS REALLY HELPED US CREATE THE RIGHT EXPECTATION FOR THE PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEE, HELPED THEM MAKE THAT EMOTIONAL COMMITMENT THAT THIS IS THE KIND OF JOB THEY'D REALLY LIKE TO BE A PART OF AND WE'RE QUITE PLEASED WITH THE RESULTS THAT WE'RE GETTING THROUGH THIS NEW PROCESS.

Adam Ruple / North American Human Resource Director / LM Glasfiber

WE'VE BEEN USING THE PROGRAM SINCE AUGUST OF 2007. IT'S YIELDED PROBABLY WELL OVER FIFTY PERCENT OF OUR WORKFORCE THAT WE'VE HIRED. THE PROGRAM HAD ABOUT A THREE-TO-ONE HIRING RATIO COMPARED TO WHERE WE WOULD HAVE JOB FAIRS OR WE WOULD HAVE OPEN HOUSES. WE WOULD SEE THOSE STATISTICS GO ANYWHERE FROM FIVE-TO-SEVEN-TO-ONE FROM AN INTERVIEW TO A HIRING RATIO.

Betsy R. Eckardt / Director of America Sales Operation / Hewlett Packard

THE CAREER READINESS PROGRAM HAS HELPED US IN A NUMBER OF WAYS. SO WE HAVE SOME POSITIONS WITHIN AMERICA SALES OPERATIONS THAT REQUIRE CRITICAL AND LOGICAL THINKING, AND THOSE TYPES OF SKILLS ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE IN JUST A REGULAR INTERVIEW.
AND SO, WE'VE FOUND THAT THE EMPLOYEES KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN THEY COME TO WORK DAY ONE. THEY'RE ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE, AND THEY'RE ENTHUSIASTIC AND EXCITED ABOUT THEIR POSITION.

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Depending on a participant's skill level, he or she will be awarded a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Arkansas Career Readiness Certificate.

To achieve the Gold standard, an individual must score a Level 5 on WorkKeys® assessments, which indicate they possess core employability skills for approximately 90 percent of the 14,000 jobs profiled by WorkKeys® in the three-skill area.

A Silver certificate ensures that the individual scored a Level 4 on WorkKeys® assessments, which indicate they possess core employability skills for approximately 65 percent of the jobs profiled by WorkKeys®.

And to earn a Bronze certificate, a person must score a Level 3 on WorkKeys® assessments, which indicate they possess core employability skills for approximately 30 percent of the jobs profiled.

John Barber / Senior Advisor / Hino

IF WE HAD 2 CANDIDATES APPLY FOR A JOB HERE AT HINO AND THEY BOTH WERE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES, BOTH SEEMINGLY HAD THE SAME CREDENTIALS EXCEPT ONE OF THEM HAD A CAREER READINESS CERTIFICATE, WE WOULD WANT TO HIRE THAT PERSON.

Betsy R. Eckardt / Director of America Sales Operation / Hewlett Packard

THEY GET THEIR CERTIFICATE, AND WE KNOW PRIOR TO COMING IN TO AN INTERVIEW THAT THEY'RE CAPABLE OF DOING THE JOB.

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State leaders in Arkansas are committed to building Arkansas' workforce, one worker at a time. Thanks to the partnerships forged between industry and state programs, the Career Readiness Program continues to provide a competitive edge for both the job seekers and the employers that take advantage of it.

Becky Thompson / Deputy Director of Global Business / Arkansas Economic Development Commission

COMPANIES THAT HAVE LOCATED HERE AND WHO ARE USING CRC HAVE INDICATED TO US THAT WE HAVE OVER-DELIVERED ON THE QUALITY OF OUR WORKFORCE, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE VERY PROUD OF.

Adam Ruple / North American Human Resource Director / LM Glasfiber

WHAT I WOULD SAY TO AN EMPLOYER THAT WOULD MOVE TO THE STATE OF ARKANSAS, YOU GOT A WORKFORCE THAT'S DEDICATED, FLEXIBLE, HARDWORKING, COMMITTED. THE CRC PROGRAM IS A DIRECT RESULT OF THAT COMMITMENT.

Betsy R. Eckardt / Director of America Sales Operation / Hewlett Packard

THE STATE GOVERNMENT IN GENERAL HAS BEEN EXTREMELY EASY TO WORK WITH. WE'VE SEEN LOTS OF PARTNERSHIP, LOTS OF OPPORTUNITY TO GROW TOGETHER, AND THEY'VE COME TO THE TABLE EVERY TIME WE'VE HAD ANYTHING THAT WE NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT OUR PROGRAM. SO WE'VE BEEN VERY HAPPY WITH WHAT WE'VE SEEN, AND I'M SURE OTHER COMPANIES WOULD SEE THE SAME.

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To find out more about the Career Readiness Certificate and the benefits it can offer, visit dws.arkansas.gov.

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