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By Karen Gentry | MiBiz
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WEST MICHIGAN—In 2007, all of the employees at Wolverine Coil Spring Co. took the three WorkKeys assessments in applied mathematics, reading and locating information, all of which tests how well individuals gather information from charts, graphics, forms and tables.

Wolverine Coil Spring President Jay Dunwell said employees were assured the results would be confidential and no one would get fired for poor scores. To the company’s surprise, one worker in an entry-level, low skilled position earned a gold certification in the testing. Dunwell said that individual deserved a chance at a higher skilled position in the company.

“We had an opportunity in our CNC spring department and put him on the training path in that technology,” Dunwell said. “He excelled. The predictability of trainability with higher credentials is a wonderful thing.”

Dunwell is a proponent of the Michigan National Career Readiness Certificate launched in 2009, an assessment based on the WorkKeys tests developed by ACT Inc. The project was piloted in West Michigan thanks to funding from the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grant administered by the West Michigan Strategic Alliance. The Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth’s Bureau of Workforce Transformation is charged with overseeing the certificate program. Positioning the certificate as “the state-recognized, workplace credential” sends the message that the state is going to invest in the credential as a link between the business, education and workforce development systems, Dunwell said. All high school juniors now take the ACT and the three WorkKeys tests.

Dunwell said although the state has made many efforts with the certificate, not enough employers are aware of it, including many West Michigan CEOs. He said it’s important to get that critical mass with employers viewing the certificate as the preferred credential.

“I would hate to see the effort that this state has put forward thus far fall down because employers don’t get engaged,” Dunwell told MiBiz.

Bill Guest, president of Metrics Reporting and the innovation champion for the WIRED West Michigan grant, agrees that more employers need to become aware of the credentialing. Guest was part of The Right Place Inc.’s Manufacturing Council sub-committee that gave recommendations in 2003 for a guaranteed diploma, which led to greater use of WorkKeys. Although 600 Michigan employers have signed a letter of commitment posted on www.ncradvocates.org, many more are needed, Guest told MiBiz.

“Instead of 600 we need 6,000 employers that recognize this as a tool to help employers hire the best people,” Guest said.

Dunwell, Guest and other business leaders, economic developers, HR professionals and educators gathered in Lansing in late October for the Michigan Career Readiness Certificate Conference to learn about the implementation of the certificate and how and why it is important in education, training and employment. Gov. Jennifer Granholm proclaimed the week of Oct. 17, 2010 as Career Readiness Certificate Week to encourage all Michigan citizens to realize the value of continuing their education and work toward earning credentials for the workplace.

Dunwell noted that reading, math and locating information form the foundation and building blocks of most career fields. The certificate complements any traditional academic credential such as a high school diploma, GED, postsecondary degree or certification. Certificates are awarded at four levels — platinum, gold, silver and bronze — based on an individual’s performance. Michigan has exceeded ACT’s national worker credentialing standards by adding employability training in soft skills such as teamwork, communication, conflict resolution, critical thinking and problem solving.

Dunwell said the Michigan National Career Readiness Certificate is a systemic change in the coordination between business and education. Employers want to hire the best, yet the quality of a high school diploma varies from school district to school district.

“With this preferred credential we know a lot about their talents, skills and their cognitive ability so hopefully we can match them up with opportunities we currently have or may have in the future,” Dunwell said.

Guest said the testing helps to measure cognitive skills.

“In a knowledge economy, it’s very important that a majority of workers have good workplace cognitive skills. There’s very few jobs today that don’t have a cognitive component,” Guest said.

Michigan has made progress in the last four years with the Michigan National Career Readiness Certificate with many K-12 school systems and Michigan Works! offices offering the certificates. Guest noted that community colleges have been the largest supporter of workforce development and many Michigan Works! offices contract with community colleges for workforce development services.

“This initiative is an intersection of business, K-12 and workforce development. Frankly, we’re the only state that has this level of alignment,” Guest said.

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