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Home / Washington Business - November/December 2006 / Washington spearheads work readiness program |
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Washington spearheads work readiness program |
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Written On: November/December 2006 |
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Written By: by Shawn Sullivan |
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Qualified people with basic job skills are becoming increasingly hard to find. In a recent employer study released by the Washington State Employment Security Department, nearly all human resource professionals said finding people with the required basic job skills is the single most difficult task they face. When asked about difficulties new employees experience, employers ranked problems with basic math, reading and writing as the top three.
Results similar to those found in the ESD study have long plagued Washington. For years, state government has struggled to find a solution that lawmakers, employers, educators, parents and students can all agree on. Finding solutions to the most common problems has taken years of planning and communication between affected parties. Above all, it has been difficult to implement these solutions in a way that minimizes the burden on the people the programs are designed to help.
One of the major projects the state has spearheaded is the Work Readiness Credential, part of a national effort to prepare students for the workplace.
"We saw this as something that could realistically help close the skills gap for entry-level workers," said Pam Lund, associate director of the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board. "Skills gap" refers to the difference between the expertise an employer requires for a position and the actual capabilities of the applicant.
"The [Work Readiness] Credential helps prepare people — many of which are just out of high school — for their first job," Lund said. It prepares people for employment by testing critical skills that employers have deemed necessary for entry-level positions. These include basic reading, writing, math, situational judgment, and a basic understanding of work-related etiquette.
The Workforce Board administers the test through agency-approved testing sites statewide. "When people pass the test, they get a certificate that potential employers in all 50 states will accept as valid," Lund said. "It also gives job seekers the confidence to actively search for a position knowing they have the required skills."
AWB and its education foundation, the Institute for Workforce Development and Economic Sustainability, have worked closely with the board to ensure that the business community plays a significant role in developing the credential.
"As a member of the Workforce Board, we have taken an active role in forming partnerships between businesses and the creators of the credential," said Mike Hudson, executive director of IWDES. "Right now, we are taking the lead role in the transition from six separate state government agencies into one national non-profit organization based on our own model."
Hudson believes that creating a non-profit — rather than a separate government entity — will ultimately help the organization respond to change at a much faster rate. "We have made the decision to financially sponsor the transition phase of the credential," Hudson said.
Another area of concern expressed by the businesses — as well as four-year colleges — is the level of math instruction a high school student must take to graduate. "The state’s minimum math requirement is two years of unspecified math courses," said Bill Moore, coordinator of assessment, teaching and learning for the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. "As of ten years ago, colleges in Washington decided that was not sufficient for college." The state board has worked with educators at the high school and college level to create the Transition Math Project, a program designed to improve the ranking of Washington’s students by helping them progress from high school to college-level math.
"We are teaching high school educators why math matters," Moore said. "The way it is being taught needs drastic improvement." The board is currently in the second phase of the process, with full implementation coming in 2007. "Our next phase will be disseminating this information around the state," Moore said. "We are in a position to offer early diagnostic testing for math, which will help us measure our ability to prepare kids for college and beyond."
By working with teachers in high schools across Washington, the board hopes to decrease the number students needing remedial math courses. Last year, that number totaled more than 47 percent.
"Ultimately, we are hoping to develop a project that could be implemented anywhere else in the nation," Moore said. Other states have already taken notice of how Washington has taken a leading role in educating its children. "By developing a single curriculum for math in high school, we are ensuring that everyone has the same level of education when they enroll in a four-year college or university," Moore said.
"The reality is that something needed to be done at the statewide level to give our kids a chance at success," Moore continued. "Beyond that, it was a question of what curricula teachers should use at the local level." Although the state board has yet to finalize the project, the preliminary indications are that it will drastically improve the preparedness of Washington’s high school students.
Because of repeated criticism by employers and educators over education, the state has taken up a leading role in preparing people for the workforce. Efforts in both the government and private sectors are starting to show dramatic results, and the way the state has left itself room to maneuver will ensure that people responsible for filling the skills gap can adapt to any changes in the system.
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