1. NATIONAL CAREER READINESS CERTIFICATE

2. ACT's National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) is a
portable credential that demonstrates achievement and a
certain level of workplace employability skills in Applied
Mathematics, and Locating Information, and Reading for
Information. In the future, ACT Career Credentials powered
by ACT WorkKeys is an expanding program that will offer
certifications in other areas.
What is NCRC – National Career Readiness Certificate

3. Individuals can earn the NCRC by taking
three WorkKeys® assessments:
1. Applied Mathematics
2. Locating Information
3. Reading for Information
WorkKeys assessments measure "real world" skills that
employers believe are critical to job success. Test questions are
based on situations in the everyday work world.
**ACT WorkKeys for Healthcare includes contextualized ACT
WorkKeys assessments with questions using language specific
to the healthcare industry.
WorkKeys Assessment

4. Combining measures of cognitive skills with measures of work
related behaviors—or soft skills—brings even greater accuracy
to predictions about an individual's success at work or in
training. In addition to the cognitive skills listed above,
the NCRC Plus 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
NCRC offers the efficient matching of talent with work—which helps
people find great jobs, companies find skilled workers, and our
nation's economy grow and prosper. Launched in 2006, today
more than 1.7 million certificates have been issued and more
than 40 states have statewide or regional certificate programs.
Benefit of NCRC Certification

5. The WorkKeys Talent Assessment measures these facets of personality:
Carefulness—tendency to think and plan carefully before acting or speaking.
Cooperation—tendency to be likable and cordial in interpersonal situations.
Creativity—tendency to be imaginative and to think "outside the box."
Discipline—tendency to be responsible, dependable, and follow through
with tasks without becoming distracted or bored.
Goodwill—tendency to be forgiving and to believe that others are well
intentioned.
Influence—tendency to impact and dominate social situations by speaking
without hesitation and often becoming a group leader.
Optimism—tendency toward having a positive outlook and confidence in
successful outcomes.
Order—tendency to be neat and well organized.
Savvy—tendency to read other people's motives, understand office politics,
and anticipate the needs and intentions of others.
Sociability—tendency to enjoy being in other people's company and to work
with others.
Stability—tendency to maintain composure and rationality in situations of
actual or perceived stress.
Striving—tendency to have high aspiration levels and to work hard to
achieve goals.
Soft Skills Talent Assessment

6. ACT has tracked the skill needs of the American workforce for
more than 20 years while compiling the world’s most
extensive job skills database. ACT is reporting these data to
help redefine crucial skill sets, map out how American
businesses can succeed, and help employees stay
competitive in a global job market.
Why Choose a 3rd Party Vendor

8. • Program designed to prepare graduates for the workplace
• Integrated into each field of study offered at BSC
• 2 in 1 program – degree plan and Employability Program
• Based on needs of employment community
Why Incorporate into Employability Program?

9. ePortfolio
Assessments
NCRC Certs
Internship
Recommendations
SOSC225
Applied Math
Locating information
Reading for information
Talent Assessment Again
SOSC105
Talent
Assessment
*Identify Strengths and
skill development
needs
Internship
Assessment results
used in class
When Will the Assessments Occur?

10. National Career Readiness Certification
• Team Work
• Tolerance ; Communication; Attitude
• Customer Service Orientation
• Interpersonal Skills and Perseverance
• Managerial Potential
• Enthusiasm; Problem Solving; Persuasion
• Work Discipline
• Productivity and Dependability
NCRC Emphasis

11. • Students take
the WorkKeys
Personality
Assessment
• Integrate results
within course
• Instructors
create
assignments
applicable to
results
Students can earn
the NCRC by
taking
three WorkKeys
® assessments:
1. Applied
Mathematics
2. Locating
Information
3. Reading for
Information
• Students
integrate results
of three
WorkKeys
assessment in
instructor
designed
assessment
• Integration of
results in
ePortfolio
SOSC225 InternshipSOSC105
Coursework

12. National Career Readiness Certification Criteria
National Career Readiness Certification Criteria ACT Assessment Instrument
Key Capabilities
 Literacy;
-information,
-technology,
-financial
NCRC
1. Locating information
2. Reading for information
Team Work
 Tolerance
 Communication
 Attitude
NCRC Plus and Talent Assessment
Customer Service Orientation
 Interpersonal Skills
 Perseverance
NCRC Plus and Talent Assessment
Managerial Potential
 Enthusiasm
 Problem Solving
 Persuasion
NCRC Plus and Talent Assessment
NCRC
1. Applied Mathematics
Work Discipline
 Productivity
 Dependability
NCRC Plus and Talent Assessment

13. Employability Program Process
Segment 1 –
Students will:
Segment 2
Students will:
Complete a workplace
readiness evaluation and build
a development plan based
upon opportunities revealed
through the evaluation
instrument
Consider critical thinking and
problem solving
Identify and evaluate
information and convert the
findings into written and
verbal communication
Use and apply mathematical
reasoning to draw conclusions
and make decisions
Begin to develop their
portfolio and investigate the
many skills features career
support options available
through the electronic
portfolio
Explore the job search process
and continue to build the
components of the portfolio
with specific attention to
accumulating evidence of
knowledge, skills and abilities
Learn how to manage student
loans while in school
Establish professional and
financial goals
Consider the connection
between elements of Segment
1, how they related to each
other and link to the degree
plan and chosen profession
Consider and articulate the
connections between elements
of Segment 2, how they relate
to each other and Segment 1,
and how they link to the degree
plan and chosen profession;
affirm continued soft skill
development
Segment 3
Students will:
Segment 4
Students will:
Focus on interpersonal skills
including perseverance,
tolerance, communication and
attitude
Focus on dependability and
productivity in the workplace
Develop strategies for self-
efficacy
Consider their role in a
professional environment from
an ethical, environmental and
global perspective
Customizing their portfolio to
prepare for an internship
opportunity or capstone
experience with specific
attention to articulating
workplace readiness
Participate in mock interview
and assess readiness to enter
the workplace environment as
related to the internship or
capstone experience
Explore financial saving goals
and opportunities and
personal finance planning
Earn a career readiness rating
through a nationally normed
evaluation
Articulate the connections
between elements of Segment
3, how they relate to each
other and Segment 1 and 2,
and how they link to the career
search process and chosen
profession; continue to affirm
continued soft skill
development
Articulate the connections
between elements of Segment
4, how they relate to each
other and Segment 1,2, and 3
relative to growth and
development and linkages to
the career search process
and chosen profession; fully
affirm soft skill development as
related to career readiness and
life-long learning

14. Sample Questions
Sample NCRC Talent and WorkKeys Assessment Questions

15. Talent Assessment

16. Level 3 Sample:
In your job as a cashier, a customer gives you a $20 bill to pay for a can of coffee that costs $3.84. How
much change should you give back?
1. $15.26
2. $16.16
3. $16.26
4. $16.84
5. $17.16
Why this is a Level 3 item:
• Examinees must perform a single subtraction operation.
• Numbers are presented in the logical order ($20 – $3.84).
• Number of dollars must be converted to a decimal (dollars and cents: $20.00).
Level 4 Sample:
Over the last 5 days, you made the following numbers of sales calls: 8, 7, 9, 5, and 7. On the average,
how many calls did you make each day?
1. 5.8
2. 7.0
3. 7.2
4. 9.0
5. 36.0
Why this is a Level 4 item:
• There is more than one step of logic and calculation.
• Examinees must divide using positive numbers.
• Examinees must figure out averages.
Applied Mathematics – Levels 3-7

17. For more samples, click here:
http://act.org/workkeys/assess/

18. Results

19. Results
• Certificates are mailed to students
• Students retain certificates