Career Readiness Certificate for Job Seekers and Employers

Ashland Community and Technical College is giving area job seekers and employers access to a new hiring tool the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC)

The NCRC is now available in Kentucky to help job applicants demonstrate their work-related skills and to help employees make hiring decisions.

Supported by partners in Kentucky's workforce system, the NCRC is a work-related skills credential that can help employers compare the level of skills possessed by applicants with level of skills needed for certain types of jobs.

The NCRC is designed to complement other traditional credentials, such as a high school diploma, community college degree or college degree. While these educational credentials mark the fulfillment of an individuals classroom learning experiences, the certificate confirms the individuals competence in a specific set of workplace skills.

NCRC for Job Seekers

The WorkKeys assessments that make up the NCRC were developed by ACT, Inc., the organization known for the ACT college-readiness test. The assessments are designed to measure an applicants potential to succeed in the workplace.

People looking to prove their work readiness, including high school juniors and seniors, can take the assessments at the ACTC/ Boyd County Adult Learning Center located at the Roberts Drive Campus. For an appointment, call the Center, 606-326-2457. The Center can also help people improve their assessment scores, with tutorials on the WorkKeys subjects.

NCRC for Employers

Job profiles developed by ACT, Inc. show the skill levels in each of the three WorkKeys assessments that are needed to successfully perform different types of jobs.

Businesses can boost their bottom line by giving interview preference to prospective employees who have an NCRC or by requiring a certain level of NCRC for employment. By requiring a certain level of NCRC to apply for available jobs, employers can be more confident the person they select for the job is a good fit.

The certificate can also increase productivity through turnover prevention and promotion selection. By using NCRC, employers can give their current and future workforce incentive to improve their skills to be eligible for more demanding and lucrative work.

For more information on NCRC assessments and WorkKeys training for employees, area businesses can contact Jessica Lucas, ACTC Workforce Solution Specialist, Jlucas0013@kctcs.edu or 606-326-2238.