The State of Michigans Review of a Work Readiness Credential

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The State of Michigans Review of a Work
Readiness Credential

• Alisande Henry
• Administrator for The Council for Labor
  Economic Growth

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The Council for Labor Economic Growth (CLEG)

• CLEG is an advisory body within the Department of
  Labor Economic Growth established to recommend
  innovative workforce development strategies for
  the State of Michigan

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Why Consider a Statewide Credential?

• Employer demand for qualified candidates
• Educators and training providers using
  assessments
• Regional transformation work helping to push the
  question

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CLEG Work Readiness Credential Committee

• Accelerating Reemployment
• Matt Chambers, Three Rivers Health Chair
• Increasing Educational Attainment
• Michael Schmidt, Ford Motor Company Fund Chair
• Additional input from DLEG, MEDC, and MDE staff
  members

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Charge to CLEG Committee

• Recommend whether Michigan should create/adopt a
  statewide Work Readiness Certificate (WRC) and,
  if so, help design and implement the new system

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Summary of Research

• Survey of Michigan Works! Agencies
• Conversations with WIRED regions
• Whats happening/has happened in other states
• Survey of Michigan employers

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Michigan Works! Agencies Survey Results

• All 25 MWAs responded to the survey
• 76 see value in creation or adoption of
  statewide WRC
• 72 of MWAs are currently using some type of
  assessment tool
• 80 of MWAs see soft skills as most important

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WRC State Research Responses

• Reasons for adopting a WRC
• Promotes a common standard, uniformity,
  language
• Used as an economic development tool
• Ability to quantify and qualify skills of
  workforce
• Means to measure the workforce
• Verifies attainment of worker skills

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WRC State Research Responses

• Reasons for not adopting a WRC
• Difficulty in employer buy-in and recognition of
  WRC
• May label individuals
• Disagreement among local areas
• Areas with local WRC not in favor of statewide
  assessment due to success with locally developed
  tools

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Employer Survey Responses

• STATEWIDE
• 161 responses to survey
• 55 said they would find a statewide WRC valuable
• More than half of survey (59) respondents not
  currently utilizing an assessment tool/test for
  hiring

• WIRED REGIONS
• 91 responses to survey
• 45 said they would find a statewide WRC valuable
• More than half of survey respondents (56) not
  currently utilizing an assessment tool/test for
  hiring

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Employer Survey ResponsesMost important
criteria to consider

• STATEWIDE
• Cost to employers
• Connection to employee retention or productivity
• Ease of use by employers
• Assessment of soft skills

• WIRED REGIONS
• Ease of use by employers
• Cost to employers
• Connection to employee retention or productivity
• Statewide or national acceptance

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Committee Recommendation

• Adoption of a statewide work readiness
  certificate for economic development purposes
• CLEG supported this recommendation

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Next Steps

• The committee is inviting vendors to answer
  questions about their tool
• What skills does the tool assess?
• What is the target population for the assessment?
• Who is the issuing body for the results?
• Are assessment results statistically valid and
  reliable?
• How broadly is the tool used (both in terms of
  geography and the number of employers and
  educators users)?
• What remediation training is included with this
  assessment?

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Next Steps, continued

• What accommodations are made for test-takers with
  disabilities?
• Has there been a formal evaluation of the tools
  impact on employee retention or productivity and
  if so, what impact has there been?
• What other feedback has been received from
  employers regarding the assessment?
• How easy is it for employers to use this
  assessment tool?
• What is the cost (to employers or other entities)
  of using this tool?
• What vendor support, technical assistance (and
  associated costs) are offered with this
  assessment?

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Questions for WorkKeys Users

• Was it difficult learning how to use WorkKeys?
• Was it difficult getting employers, individuals,
  and education training providers to understand
  the value of WorkKeys and a work/career readiness
  credential?
• How did you get the word out to employers?
• What questions still exist around soft skills
  assessments and how are these questions being
  addressed?

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Questions, continued

• Where is the testing being done within regions
  and local areas?
• Who grades the assessment?
• Who pays for the testing and how are costs
  managed?
• What would you do differently?
• What recommendations/advice do you have for the
  state if WorkKeys is selected as a statewide
  assessment tool?

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Key Dates

• November 7 Vendor Presentations
• November 15 Committee Meeting
• December 3 CLEG Quarterly Meeting

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• For More Information
• Alisande E. Henry, Administrator
• Council for Labor Economic Growth
• MI Dept. of Labor Economic Growth
• PO Box 30004
• Lansing, MI 48909
• Phone [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• aehenry_at_michigan.gov
• http//www.michigan.gov/cleg