Arkansas Division of Workforce Services Issuance PY 20-02 To

Arkansas Division of Workforce Services

Issuance PY 20-02

To: ADWS LO, AR CRC Partners (AR Community Colleges, AR Department of

Education, Division of Career and Technical Education, AR Adult Education, Career

Pathways), WorkKeys Administrators, and WorkKeys Test Administrators

From: Charisse Childers, Ph. D, Director

Subject: Arkansas National Career Readiness Certificate (AR NCRC) Policy and Procedures

Update

Date: September 28, 2020

Purpose: To officially issue Arkansas Career Readiness Certificate program process and policy

updates.

General Information: The primary purpose of the Arkansas National Career Readiness Certificate

(AR NCRC) Program is to positively impact the economy in Arkansas by helping job seekers build

their workplace skills, respond to employer needs and increase the likelihood of a job seeker’s success.

The biggest challenge facing Arkansas employers and economic developers actively recruiting

industry to our state continues to be the gap between the current workforce and the job skills needed

by employers. To stay competitive in the global market, solutions are necessary to better align

workers’ skills with high-skill and high-wage jobs. In response to narrowing or eliminating that gap

for the employer and the worker, the Arkansas National Career Readiness Certificates, over the past

years, and to date have come to represent a large part of the solution.

The Arkansas National Career Readiness Certificate is a portable credential based on the ACT

WorkKeys assessments that document and verify to employers that an individual possesses the basic

workplace skills they are seeking. Individuals who earn an AR NCRC are automatically eligible for

the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC). Even if an individual has a high school diploma,

GED or a post-secondary degree, the AR CRC further verifies that he or she can handle tasks that are

common and vital in today’s workplace such as understanding information in common workplace

documents, the ability to use mathematical reasoning to solve workplace situations, and to recall

understand, and extract information from graphics such as diagrams, tables, forms, graphs, and charts.

In order to be issued an AR NCRC, a job seeker must complete the approved ACT process. The ACT

WorkKeys assessments have been purchased by the State and are free of charge to active job seekers,

Career Pathways Initiative students, Career and Technical Education high school students and

employers who are hiring potential new employees. WorkKeys assessments that are purchased by an

employer, college, or other institutions and not purchased by the State cannot be used for the issuance

of an Arkansas NCRC or NCRC. Individuals taking WorkKeys assessments to earn an AR NCRC

should never pay testing sites for the assessments.

To earn an AR NCRC, job seekers are assessed in Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace

Documents, through the WorkKeys employability skills assessment system. As a result of the

assessments, job seekers earn a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum certificate or identify areas in which

they need further instruction. The certificate is signed by the Governor and the Director of the Division

of Workforce Services.

The WorkKeys Curriculum is a pre-WorkKeys instructional tool that helps prepare individuals for

the WorkKeys assessments. It includes the WorkKeys Curriculum and tools for WorkKeys, Essential

Skills (These are the same skills included in Career 101 Soft Skills (optional)) that may include but not

limited to, Problem Solving and Critical Thinking, Work Discipline and Working in Teams. It is the

first step toward achieving a certification. If the individual does not score at least a Level 4 on the

WorkKeys Curriculum Pretest instruction, this indicates a need for skill improvement. The WorkKeys

Curriculum Pre-test system can be used to improve their skill level. The system includes targeted, self-

paced instruction, pre-assessments, soft skills lessons and an occupational job profiles database. These

components can help individuals learn, practice and demonstrate the skills they need in the jobs and

careers they desire.

The WorkKeys Curriculum is designed to improve job seekers basic skills so that they will be ready

for employment and successful in job-specific training. The system also includes a Beginning Skills

component to develop literacy and prepare job seekers who are below the measured WorkKeys skill

levels.

The WorkKeys assessments are a timed comprehensive assessment that measures real world skills that

employers believe are critical to job success. The skills measured by WorkKeys are valuable for any

occupation that’s skilled or professional and at any level of education. The Applied Math, Graphic

Literacy, and Workplace Documents assessment questions are based on situations in the everyday work

world.

WorkKeys was created by ACT, Inc., who developed the ACT exam that is commonly used for college

entrance testing. Thousands of employers in Arkansas, nationally and internationally use the

WorkKeys assessments and job profiles in their everyday hiring practices.

National Career Readiness Certification (NCRC) and RegiSTAR

An Arkansas National Career Readiness Certificate has always been a portable credential; however, in

2014, all Arkansas certificates, past and present, began being recorded in ACT’s national RegiSTAR

database. The transfer of Arkansas records to the national RegiSTAR system further validates an

individual’s certification, regardless of which state they seek employment.

RegiSTAR is a web-based system used for the reporting and management of National Career

Readiness Certificates (NCRC). RegiSTAR automatically sweeps our testing sites for ACT WorkKeys

scores and automatically registers certificates in the ACT national database. This system allows

administrators to pull certificates and test data reports. Additionally, online accounts are automatically

created for individuals to easily access and share certificate details.

AR NCRC Program Eligibility: The Arkansas National Career Readiness Certificate program is

being made available only to active job seekers, Career Pathways Initiative (CPI) students and high

school students enrolled in the Arkansas Department of Education, Division of Career and Technical

Education’s Career Readiness /Work-Based Learning program. The Arkansas NCRC program is not

for incumbent worker services such as internal job promotions within a company. Although the

Arkansas CRC program is not for the incumbent worker who is seeking an internal job promotion

within a company he is employed, the individual may participate in the AR NCRC program if the

individual is seeking a higher paying position with another company requiring applicants to have an

AR NCRC or a specific level AR NCRC.

Active Job Seekers aged 16 or older may begin the process to earn an Arkansas National

Career Readiness Certificate. An “Active Job Seeker” for AR NCRC purposes, is defined

as a person obtaining the credential to actively pursue employment within 90 days of their

program completion.

Career Pathways Initiative (CPI) Students - All Arkansas Department of Higher

Education CPI students are required to use the WorkKeys Curriculum instruction and

WorkKeys assessments to build their workplace skills. The WorkKeys Curriculum and

WorkKeys assessments have been made available to all students needing a tutorial program

to improve their workplace skills.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) High School Students – High school students

enrolled in the Arkansas Department of Education, Division of Career and Technical

Education’s program are eligible to complete the AR NCRC process. The student must be

age 16 or older with a valid social security number.

❖ Approved CTE high schools that administer the WorkKeys Curriculum and/or

proctor the WorkKeys assessments can only proctor to their respective high

school students. Job seekers are not allowed to take the WorkKeys Curriculum

Pre-test or WorkKeys assessments at a high school campus.

PROCESS UPDATES

The Arkansas Career Readiness Certificate has been made possible through collaboration between the

following partner agencies and institutions: Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS),

Arkansas Department of Education, Division of Career and Technical Education (ADCTE), Arkansas

Community Colleges (ACC), Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC), and Arkansas

Department of Higher Education (ADHE). Agencies and institutions interested in administering the

WorkKeys Curriculum and/or proctoring the WorkKeys assessments should contact the CRC

Administrative office for assistance.

A. Arkansas JobLink (AJL): All job seekers who begin the process to earn an Arkansas NCRC

must complete an Arkansas JobLink (AJL) registration. Career Pathways Initiative (CPI)

students and Career and Technical Education (CTE) students who are not yet active job

seekers should have their AJL registration flagged in the system by ADWS local office staff

and entered as “in progress” with an estimated completion date. Additionally, when the

student completes the CPI or CTE program and becomes an active job seeker (ready for

employment) the AJL registration should be reviewed and updated by ADWS local office

staff. Students who are entered in AJL prior to seeking employment and have not been flagged

as “in progress” will create a negative impact on ADWS performance as measured by the U.

S. Department of Labor. It is imperative that an AJL registration is completed for everyone

who begins the process to achieve an Arkansas NCRC, with attention to detail for those who

are not yet actively seeking employment.

▪ It is the responsibility of the person who administers the WorkKeys Curriculum to

ensure that the individual completes an AJL registration. To complete the registration

online go to: www.dws.arkansas.gov. Job seekers also have the option of visiting the

nearest Workforce Center to complete the AJL registration in person.

• The two-year colleges, high schools and CPI programs that are designated to proctor

the WorkKeys assessments are required to provide the WorkKeys scores to the ADWS

local office manager for entering into the AJL system. For security purposes, do not

include the entire social security number when submitting the scores electronically or

when faxing information on a job seeker/student. Instead, provide the name and last

four digits of the SSN e.g., xxx-xx-1234. Please call the appropriate office to provide

full SSNs when requested.

B. Examinee ID Numbers: Arkansas National Career Readiness Certificates are issued by the

job seeker/student Examinee ID which is auto generated when an examinee account is created.

The individual’s Social Security number will no longer be required to take the WorkKeys

assessment or the driving force for the successful examinee to receive the AR NCRC.

C. WorkKeys Curriculum must be completed at an approved site for the job seeker to

receive a referral form to take the WorkKeys assessments: The pre-test cannot be

completed at home or away from an approved AR NCRC partnership site. Job seekers may

work on their lessons at home to build their skill gap and for additional practice work however,

the actual administration and supervision of WorkKeys Curriculum by AR NCRC staff is

necessary to evaluate the job seeker and determine how to effectively assist the individual to

reach their goals. The pre-test is not timed and job seekers can spend as much time as they

desire practicing their lessons. The WorkKeys Curriculum scores and final quizzes are not

the same as WorkKeys scores.

D. Expiring WorkKeys Curriculum Pre-test Scores: The WorkKeys Curriculum system was

purchased by the state of Arkansas as a practice tool to help individuals prepare for and

successfully complete the ACT WorkKeys assessments. Therefore, WorkKeys assessments

must be completed within 30 days of successfully completing WorkKeys Curriculum Pre-test.

If not, the individual should be instructed to return to the referring agency/institution for a

refresher course using the WorkKeys Curriculum. WorkKeys Test Administrators should pay

close attention to the date on the WorkKeys referral form. If the individual did not show for

the scheduled date on the form, they should be referred back to the site that administered the

WorkKeys Curriculum Pre-test. A new referral form should be completed when the

individual is rescheduled to take WorkKeys.

E. WorkKeys Assessment Sites: To earn an Arkansas NCRC, WorkKeys assessments should

be taken at approved sites by authorized staff.

▪ Approved Career and Technical Education high schools that administer the WorkKeys

Curriculum instruction and/or proctor the WorkKeys assessments can only proctor to

their respective high school students.

▪ Adult Education Centers authorized by the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services to

administer the WorkKeys assessments may not proctor WorkKeys to students who are

still enrolled in high school.

▪ Job seekers must possess a State referral form completed by ADWS local office to take

WorkKeys Curriculum and/or WorkKeys assessments. ADWS will not pay for

assessments proctored to job seekers who do not have the approved State referral form

on the scheduled day of testing. The approved State referral form is the job seekers

“ticket” into the testing room along with a picture ID and should not be altered by

anyone other than ADWS authorized staff. Job seekers are not allowed to take the

WorkKeys Curriculum or WorkKeys assessments at a high school campus.

▪ Students and job seekers are allowed 55 minutes on each of the WorkKeys

assessments. The three assessments do not have to be taken on the same day.

F. WorkKeys Scoring: The Arkansas NCRC program uses results from the Applied Math,

Graphic Literacy and Workplace Documents to award certificates in five skill levels:

▪ PLATINUM+: Scores a Level 7 or higher across the three (3) skill levels

▪ PLATINUM: Scores a Level 6 or higher on all three (3) skill levels

▪ GOLD: Scores a Level 5 or higher on all three (3) skill levels

▪ SILVER: Scores a Level 4 or higher on all three (3) skill levels

▪ BRONZE: Scores at a minimum Level 3 on all three (3) skill levels

NOTE: You will not find certificate Levels (Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze) in the

ACT Validus WorkKeys score reports. The assessments are scored <3, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.

<3 = Unsuccessful (less than 3)

3 = Bronze

4 = Silver

5 = Gold

6 = Platinum

7 = Platinum +

If the job seeker scores a 3 or above on the WorkKeys assessments in all three areas

(Workplace Documents, Applied Math, and Graphic Literacy) an Arkansas National

Career Readiness Certificate will be issued based upon the lowest skill score.

Example:

Job Seeker A: Workplace Documents score: 6

Applied Math score: 5

Graphic Literacy score: 4

Eligible for Silver AR NCRC

Example

Job Seeker B: Workplace Documents score: 5

Applied Math score: 7

Graphic Literacy score: 3

Eligible for Bronze AR NCRC

Job Seeker C: Workplace Documents score: 7

Applied Math score: 7

Graphic Literacy score: 6

Eligible for Platinum AR NCRC

Job Seeker D: Workplace Documents: 6

Applied Math score: 7

Graphic Literacy score: 5

Eligible for Gold AR NCRC

Job Seeker E: Workplace Documents score: 5

Applied Math score: 6

Graphic Literacy score: <3

Not Eligible for AR NCRC**

❖ Job Seeker E should be referred for developmental skill building in Graphic Literacy

utilizing the WorkKeys Curriculum. The individual must provide documentation of

having successfully improved their skill level before receiving a new referral form to

retake the Graphic Literacy WorkKeys assessment.

G. WorkKeys Retakes: The State would like to allow as many new job seekers as possible to

have an opportunity to receive an AR NCRC. Therefore, a job seeker or student successfully

completes the AR NCRC process and earns a Bronze certificate but would like to upgrade

their certificate to a higher level such as a Silver, Gold or Platinum, this request cannot be

approved.

Individuals who have taken WorkKeys assessments are allowed the opportunity to retake

WorkKeys under the following two conditions:

1) Unsuccessful first attempt: If the individual did not achieve a WorkKeys score high enough

to be issued an AR NCRC and they have done some skill upgrade work either through Adult

Education, ADWS local office or Arkansas Workforce Center staff using the WorkKeys

Curriculum. However, the individual must provide documentation of having successfully

improved their skill level on the part of the assessment(s) that they were unsuccessful during

the first attempt and should be given a new referral form indicating which assessment(s) they

are allowed to retake. The maximum attempts allowed for WorkKeys are two (2)

(original plus one additional attempt) before the job seeker is automatically referred to

Adult Education. If the individual does not want to go to Adult Education for developmental

courses, another tool should be introduced to them and they are no longer eligible to retake

WorkKeys.

To clarify the bolded statement above, the total attempts that are allowed, at no cost to the

customer in total are three (3). There are 2 attempts before sending to Adult Education or other

approved partner facility for developmental courses to assist in preparing the customer to

successfully complete unsuccessful assessment scores. When the customer has completed the

skill upgrade sufficiently to retest, the facility will provide a new referral form indicating which

assessment(s) they can retake. This will be the third and final attempt supported through ADWS.

2 Job seeker applying for ACT job profiled position: The authorized retake of an AR NCRC

holder or first time job seeker who did not achieve a WorkKeys score high enough to be

issued an AR NCRC at the level required to satisfy the employer’s job requirement is

allowable. Before the individual is allowed to reassess, skill upgrade work must be

completed through Adult Education, ADWS local office or Arkansas Workforce Center

using the WorkKeys Curriculum. The job seeker should be given a new referral form

indicating which assessment(s) they are allowed to retake. The maximum attempts

allowed for WorkKeys are two (2) before the job seeker is automatically referred to

Adult Education. This applies to the AR NCRC holder or a first time job seeker taking

the WorkKeys Assessment. In the event that the individual does not want to go to Adult

Education for developmental courses, another tool should be introduced to them and they

are no longer eligible to retake WorkKeys.

H. Unapproved WorkKeys Retakes: The AR NCRC is a statewide program, therefore, when

WorkKeys sites allow even one or two individuals to repeatedly assess multiple times without

following procedures, the number of wasted assessments quickly add up. WorkKeys Test

Administrators should never allow individuals to repeat an assessment(s) on the same day.

The assessments (Applied Math, Graphic Literacy and Workplace Documents) are purchased

by the State and are free of charge to the individual and to the employer for hiring potential

new employees. The State would like to allow as many new job seekers as possible to have

an opportunity to receive a certificate. Please note that unapproved retake scores will not be

used to award a certificate.

1) Attempt to upgrade certificate level: AR NCRC holders are not allowed to retake

assessments in an attempt to upgrade their previous score simply to achieve a higher

certificate level. Approval for individuals requesting a retake of an assessment

simply to improve the certificate level is not the design of the program. However,

individuals are allowed to retest when the request is employer driven and the job

has been profiled requiring a higher level of certification. (See: WorkKeys Retakes)

2) ACT Job Profile not completed: In the event that an employer requires a specific

AR NCRC level for employment, the employer must have had an ACT job profile

completed for those specific position(s). An employer can only prefer that a job

seeker have an AR NCRC if the job has not been profiled. For example, an employer

may not request all Silver AR NCRC holders if the position listed with ADWS has

not been profiled.

3) Developmental skill building courses: The job seeker did not go back to Adult

Education, ADWS local office or Arkansas Workforce Center when referred to

further develop their skill gap on unsuccessful WorkKeys assessment(s). Another

tool should be introduced to the job seeker and they are not eligible to retake

WorkKeys until the course work is completed.

I. Certificates: ACT through its RegiSTAR system will issue certificates based on the scores

in the ACT WorkKeys database. The individual must score a Level 3 or above on the Applied

Math, Graphic Literacy and Workplace Documents assessments to receive an AR NCRC.

ACT will email certificates to the institution that proctored the WorkKeys assessments for

distribution to the individual. Once received by the institution, the certificate will be printed

and distributed to the successful job seeker. Certificates should be stored in a secure location

and should not be mailed; however at the onset of the exam the WorkKeys Test Administrator

should inform the AR NCRC holder to revisit the site where they took the WorkKeys Exam

in 5 working days and provide identification to receive their certificate. Additionally,

WorkKeys Test Administrators should inform individuals that AR NCRCs have no expiration

date.

SPECIAL NOTE: Examinees will also receive a copy of their AR NCRC at the email

address submitted at time of registering in Validus. The official AR NCRC will be held at the

test location for the examinee to pick up five (5) working days after successful completion of

the WorkKeys assessments.

J. Certificate Reprints: Job seekers/students should be informed by the WorkKeys Test

Administrator to safeguard their certificate once received. In lieu of a certificate reprint,

WorkKeys Test Administrators are allowed to print WorkKeys scores from the ACT Validus

system at no additional cost to the individual. Certificate holders can contact ACT directly

at 1-800-WORKKEY, select Option 2, to order a printed AR National Career Readiness

Certificate at no cost to them.

K. Share Your ACT National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC): Certificate holders can

now share their nationally portable credential. WorkKeys assessment scores are registered

into the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) database. Scores are usually

available in the NCRC database 24 hours after successfully completing the Applied Math,

Graphic Literacy and Workplace Documents assessments. This database will allow NCRC

holders to view their certificate level and to share their NCRC information with employers or

whomever they give authorization to view.

❖ To protect the individual’s privacy, ACT will not release any information until the

NCRC holder authorizes it. In order for employers/others to verify the NCRC

details, the individual must first share their certificate by accessing the following

website: http://www.act.org/certificate/login.html

❖ After the individual shares their certificate, the credential may be verified at:

http://www.act.org/certificate/verify.html

L. Unapproved Forms: The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services’ NCRC Administrative

office policy is to provide uniform and consistent CRC materials across the state. Never,

under any circumstances should any form be used that has not been approved by the ADWS

NCRC Administrative Office. Only the approved Arkansas NCRC forms should be accepted.

Any form that you have received and/or use that was not submitted by the ADWS CRC

Administrative office is not an approved form. The AR NCRC partnership sites should not

develop or use forms they have created. Much thought and collaboration from the AR NCRC

Partners have been utilized to create and develop all forms to include the necessary

information needed from the respective agencies.

M. Employers Requesting to Pay for WorkKeys Assessments: Companies interested in

WorkKeys assessments for internal promotions for their employees and/or interested in

purchasing additional WorkKeys assessments other than Applied Math, Graphic Literacy and

Workplace Documents must contact ACT WorkKeys directly at 1-800-WORKKEY for price

information. ACT will invoice the employer not ADWS and payments will be made directly

to ACT.

❖ WorkKeys assessments purchased by a company and/or institution for purposes

other than those related to the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet Initiative will not

receive a certificate from the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services.

N. WorkKeys Pricing: ACT bills the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services directly for

each Applied Math, Graphic Literacy and Workplace Documents assessment launched under

the “CRC-Billing to ADWS” financial profile in the Validus system.

O. Financial Profile: A Financial Profile must be selected for each assessment added to a

WorkKeys registration in the ACT Validus system. Selecting the Financial Profile tells ACT

what price to charge for each assessment. If the financial profile is not set, the price charged

to your site will be the highest standard price. Please pay close attention to set the Financial

Profile before the assessment is authorized and launched.

Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS) and ACT appreciate your participation as

an authorized site, proctoring WorkKeys assessments as part of the Arkansas CRC program.

ACT has entered into a contract with ADWS confirming the Agency’s commitment to pay for

Applied Math, Graphic Literacy and Workplace Documents for individuals who qualify for the

program.

It should be noted that “Qualifying” individuals for the AR NCRC are job seekers 16 years old

or older, who have been registered into the ADWS Local Office Arkansas JobLink system.

Others qualifying for the WorkKeys assessments for which charges can be direct-billed to

ADWS include ADHE Career Pathways Initiative students and CTE high school students.

❖ WorkKeys assessments proctored outside of the AR NCRC program guidelines

will be directly billed to your licensed site, at the prevailing rate per ACT prices.

As a registration is created for the job seeker or student in the ACT Validus system, the

WorkKeys site administrator/proctor will be required to choose the appropriate funding source

(financial profile) for the assessments they are using for billing and tracking purposes.

Please take caution when selecting one of the following appropriate billing options/financial

profiles:

1) AR NCRC - Billing to ADWS: (Job seekers/CPI students/CTE high school

students) Choose this option if you are proctoring the Workplace Documents,

Applied Math, and Graphic Literacy assessments under the AR N CRC program

guidelines above. ACT will invoice ADWS directly for payment.

2) Education/Government Rate – Billing to Your Licensed Site: Choose this

option if you are proctoring WorkKeys assessments for individuals and/or

employers that are paying your site for assessments that would not qualify for

ADWS funding. An example of this service would be for existing

employees/incumbent workers of an employer enrolled in a program to upgrade

their work skill levels. Another example of this service is when an employer has

requested assessments other than Workplace Documents, Applied Math and

Graphic Literacy. All ACT WorkKeys assessments would be available to your site,

but delivered “outside” of the standard Arkansas NCRC program. Invoices for

assessment services will be sent directly to your site for your direct payment to ACT

and your site will be responsible for any service charges for individual or company

services.

3) Business (Retail) Rate – Billing to Your Licensed Site:

Choose this option if an employer wants to pay for WorkKeys assessments and

assessing outside of your school sponsored training program and NOT utilize your

services or the state services. Contact ACT at 1-800-WORKKEY for more

information about this type of assessing. Invoices will be sent directly to your site

for your direct payment to ACT and your own cost recovery from a client.

P. ACT Job Profile:

The Job Profile process begins with a tour of the facility with observations of the individual

workers performing the job to be profiled. Three important components to WorkKeys Job

Profiling are: Job Analysis, Assessment and Training.

▪ Job Analysis: A facilitated focus group session with the Subject Matter Experts

(a representative sample of gender, races/ethnicities and experience levels

identified by the company) that provide specific information related to skills and

skill levels for a position. A task list is created based on job observations, O-Net

and ACT. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are brought in to answer questions

regarding the job being profiled. SMEs provide detailed information about the job

and rate tasks as they relate to the work. The job analysis process can take

anywhere from 6 to 8 hours or longer.

▪ Assessment: Provides reliable information about an individual’s skills and how

they compare to the skill levels required for the job.

▪ Training: Shows how the individual performed relative to the “bar” or what is

required for the job.

Job Profiles vs. Occupational Profiles:

Job Profiles are employer/job specific and offer a detailed task list that describes what, how,

when, where and/or why a task is performed in relation to a specific job. They also provide a

customized report that documents the tasks and skill levels required for the job along with real

world examples. Job Profiles provide qualitative reasons behind the skill levels provided by

the job incumbents along with recommendations that are most critical to the job. Job Profiles

are EEOC validated.

Occupational Profiles are created by averaging job profiles that have been completed by Job

Profilers for similar jobs. They are not EEOC validated. Occupational Profiles can serve as a

guide to set instructional standards or develop curriculum designed to help individuals or

students meet skill requirements. An Occupational Profile provides skill levels required for an

occupation across jobs, companies or industries where SMEs may come from different

organizations and/or from related jobs within an occupation. Occupational Profiles are not job

specific and provide only an idea of where a particular applicant’s skill level should be. An

employer cannot require a given level of Career Readiness Certification using the occupational

profiles, but an employer can recognize the job seekers who have an AR NCRC that most

closely matches what the occupational profiles identifies as needed levels. The Job Profile will

provide skill level data specific to a job.

When to use Job Profiling?

● High stake hiring, promotional and training decisions that are EEOC compliant

● To describe and document detailed activities of the job

● Identify tasks that are most critical to job performance

● Employer requiring the Arkansas NCRC

When to use Occupational Profiling? (Not validated)

• To help individuals or students develop a plan when choosing a career

• Establish skill standards for professional organization for an occupation

• Provide skill levels required on occupation across jobs, companies or industries

where they may not have enough SMEs.

Q. Employers interested in having their job(s) profiled: Employers must pay to have their

job(s) profiled in Arkansas. The ACT WorkKeys job profiling fee varies and the process to

conduct a job profile can take from 3 days to 2 weeks. The employer involved must be able

to release the appropriate employees (SMEs) for a complete analysis of their job. Employers

interested in having their job(s) profiled should contact the AR NCRC Administrative Office.

R. Required Updates: It is imperative that WorkKeys Curriculum instructors and WorkKeys

Test Administrators/Proctors provide the AR NCRC Administrative office with updated

contact information. The information will help the office maintain a distribution list to

provide information in a timely manner to the AR NCRC partners across the state. Those

included on the distribution list will receive correspondence including updates, revised forms,

ACT national conference announcements, meeting and training information and news/general

information. Contact information including the staff’s name, phone number, fax number,

email address, physical address and AR NCRC role should be provided. If performing the

duties of both the WorkKeys Administrator and Proctor we need to know. If a staff person is

no longer working with the AR NCRC program, please let our office know so that we can

remove them from the distribution list.

S. TABE and Additional Testing: The CRC program is employer driven. This equates to

responding to urgent requests from employers needing a pool of skilled workers within

specific time frames without additional testing. Therefore, job seekers will not be required to

complete additional testing during the AR NCRC process. Adult Education will be

responsible for contacting job seekers who need additional assistance to recommend that they

complete additional testing.

T. WorkKeys Curriculum Technical Support: Contact the ACT WorkKeys Curriculum

Technical Support/Customer Service team at (877) 842-6205 to troubleshoot and assist with

curriculum system products. Contact the ACT Workkeys 800-967-5539, for WorkKeys

Curriculum and Career Ready 101 support number for WorkKeys Test. The ACT team is

available 24/7/365. The AR NCRC Administrative Office staff is also available for technical

support and can be reached toll free at (866) 757-2999 or by email at crc@arkansas.gov.

U. Temporary Employment Agencies: Some companies hire almost exclusively through temp

agencies. ADWS senior management will evaluate proposals from temp agencies on a case-

by-case basis. ADWS prefers to work directly with employers and not through a third-party

intermediary since temporary agencies are paid by employers to help recruit new employees

and the possibility of legal ramifications exist regarding hiring decisions and terminations. If

ADWS decides to work with a temporary agency, a detailed and confidential contract between

the two parties will be executed.

Training: It is mandatory that all AR NCRC staff complete the “Introduction to WorkKeys

Curriculum” and “ACT WorkKeys Curriculum Pre-test Training” webinars before administering the

WorkKeys Curriculum instruction. WorkKeys administrators and proctors must complete the “ACT

WorkKeys Test Administration Training for Online Testing” webinar and read the “WorkKeys

Internet Version Online User’s Guide” before proctoring WorkKeys assessments.

The ACT WorkKeys Curriculum Administration User Guide is available from the ACT

website at:

http://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/WorkKeysCurriculumAdmin-

UserGuide.pdf. In-app help is available from within ACT WorkKeys Curriculum by selecting

the Support Icon in the bottom left of the screen. If you have questions or would like help

getting started please contact ACT Customer Service toll free at 877-842-6205 or by email at

workkeyscurriculum@act.org.

AR NCRC staff should also utilize the online practice modules available for both WorkKeys

Curriculum and WorkKeys. Staff should never practice using “live” WorkKeys assessments.

ACT will invoice ADWS for all Workplace Documents, Applied Math and Graphic Literacy

assessments launched.

To register for upcoming complimentary WorkKeys Curriculum/WorkKeys Curriculum Pre-

test webinars, go to the following link: www.WorkKeys Curriculum Pre-test.com/training.

IMPORTANT NOTIFICATION: WorkKeys Administrators and Proctors are required to

notify the AR NCRC Administrative Office after completing mandatory training. Please use

the form attached to notify the CRC Administrative Office of new or deleted Administrators;

also use the form in the User Guide to notify ACT when training is complete.

You must notify the AR NCRC Administrative office in writing (email) to remove

WorkKeys Primary Curriculum and Test Administrators. The local site cannot add or delete

Primary WorkKeys staff. However, the local WorkKeys site’s Primary Curriculum and Test

Administrators can add or delete other local staff with same or similar roles, but must notify the

CRC Administrative Office of these changes.

Inquiries: Please submit any questions to www.crc@arkansas.gov

Attachments: AR NCRC Referral Form, Training Verification Form and AR NCRC Local Site

Print Procedures

Expiration Date: Continuing