Career Readiness System - National Fund for Workforce Solutions

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Massachusetts’ Career Readiness Initiative
Cheryl Scott
Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board
Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development
National Fund for Workforce Solutions Conference
June 18, 2014
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MA Career Readiness Initiative
Context
 Unemployment is most acute and chronic for individuals with the least
amount of education and technical skill
 1/3 of students entering public higher education require literacy and
math remediation (higher at community colleges)
 Over 20,000 individuals on wait lists for adult education classes
 Lack of alignment across basic skill pathways across systems and
resources: multiple assessments, retesting, no correlation to job
requirements
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+ MA Career Readiness Initiative
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 Objectives:
Supplement basic skills delivery
for low-skilled individuals through
statewide implementation of ACT
Career Ready
 Improve work-based skills and job
matching
 Align and coordinate across basic
skills pathways (Adult Education,
Workforce Development, and
Community Colleges) through
shared tools
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Massachusetts Model
• 100 Learning Labs
• (OSCCs, community colleges,
ABE programs)
• Assess and
Remediate
• Improve
individual’s skill
Career
Ready 101
National
Career
Readiness
Certificate Plus
• NCRC+ Testing
Sites (OSCC & community
colleges)
• Test Literacy,
Numeracy, Work
Behavior
• Credential
• Job Analysis
• 16 Staff
• Analyze competencies
of real job openings
(MA and nationwide)
Job
Match
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Partners and Resources
Funders & Key Stakeholders
Contribution
Executive Office of Labor and Workforce
Development
• Department of Career Services (OSCCs & WIBs)
• Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board
(Steering Committee)
$250k
Community College & Workforce Development
Transformation Agenda Grant (TAACCCT grant)
$200k
Department of Higher Education
$50k
Dept. Elementary and Secondary Education
(Adult Education System)
$50k
SkillWorks
$50k
The Boston Foundation (capacity building grant)
$150k
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CRI Workplan
Early Engagement &
Procurement
(Oct 2013 – June 2014)
Learning Lab & Testing Sites
(July 2014 – Oct 2016)
Employer Engagement
(Oct 2014 – Oct 2016)
Outcomes & Evaluation
• Steering Committee Formed
• Survey and focus groups
• Contracting & Procurement
• Career Ready 101 training & staff development (Summer – Fall)
• Training & deployment of testing sites (Fall – Winter)
• Convene regional user groups, blending learning workshops
• Employer focus groups
• Employer outreach & champion identification
• Job profiler training & rollout
• Analyze regional, system, and statewide data trends
• Make policy recommendations
(Jan 2015 – Oct. 2016)
Next Steps
• Work Ready communities
• Expanding scope (re-entry, school to career)
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Results & Outcomes
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Outcomes/Results to be Measured
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Individuals improving skill level through Career Ready 101

Individuals certified work ready (NCRC+)

Direct enrollment in post-secondary (no remediation)
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Individuals who obtain and retain employment
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Employers using NCRC+ in hiring process
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Return on Investment (ROI)
Process Measures Across Systems
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Partners coordinating around common service delivery and
training models (intra- and inter-system)
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Partners coordinating across stakeholders providing
common certifications (NCRC)
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Contact
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Cheryl Scott
Director, MA Workforce Investment Board
[email protected]
[email protected]
(617) 626-7112
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