Fast Track to the Workforce

By Abby Hartz on Monday, September 19, 2011

Whatever you decide to do after high school – pursue a bachelor’s degree, an associate degree or something else altogether – you’ll need to do something to prepare yourself for the workforce. After all, you’re going to be part of it for decades. (Well, unless you’re heir to a family fortune.)

No matter if you enter the workforce after four years of college or immediately after graduating from high school, the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services can help you make decisions now that will positively impact your working life.

“If you’re not sure of what to do, we have the programs to help pinpoint your interests and find out where you belong,” said Kimberly Friedman, communications director for the department. With 35 DWS offices in the state and co-locations at Arkansas Workforce Centers, the department can serve as a one-stop-shop for your career needs.

How They Can Help

Career counseling, résumé assistance, advice on interview attire, training and certification are just some of the types of assistance DWS and the workforce centers offer – for FREE. If you’re not sure what type of career you might want to pursue, don’t know what jobs are currently in demand in your area or you just need some training to prepare you for the workforce, the services available to you at the centers will prove invaluable.

Certifiably Hirable

Anything you have in addition to your high school diploma will only work to your benefit. So to prove to potential employers that you possess basic workplace skills required for today’s jobs, DWS offers a Career Readiness Certificate. It speaks to your abilities in common tasks required in many workplaces, including:

Reading for Information – The ability to understand information in common workplace documents, such as letters, memos, procedures and instructions

Applied Mathematics – The ability to use mathematical reasoning to solve common workplace situations

Locating Information – The ability to understand and extract information from graphics, such as diagrams, tables, forms, graphs and charts

More than 30,000 job seekers statewide have obtained the credential since it was first offered in January 2008. And get this: More than 2,600 employers have hired someone with a CRC. In general, those companies have reported that employee turnover and overtime have been reduced because they know the people they hire can do the job. It’s also recognized outside the state because it’s based on the WorkKeys® assessment developed by ACT.

Visit the CRC website at www.ArkansasAtWork.org to find a local office, or go to www.DWS.Arkansas.gov. Make sure you tell the center staff that you’re interested in going through the Career Readiness Program. Your local office will be able to provide you with a list of the local employers that recognize the certificate and have been known to hire job seekers with the CRC.

To receive the CRC, job seekers must successfully complete the ACT KeyTrain® instruction and score at least a Level 3 on the WorkKeys® assessments in Reading for Information, Applied Mathematics and Locating Information. Your scores on the assessments will determine your level of certificate. Gold classification means you’ve demonstrated basic skills for 90 percent of the jobs profiled, silver shows you have the skills for 65 percent of the profiled jobs, and bronze shows you have the skills necessary for 30 percent of the jobs profiled. In Arkansas, 82 percent of CRC job seekers have the silver or gold classification.