The New Workplace Readiness Skills for the Commonwealth

The New Workplace Readiness Skills for the Commonwealth Virginia’s Research-Based Approach to Teaching and Testing Employability and Life Skills CTECS Community of Practice November 9 -10, 2011

Virginia’s Definition of Workplace Readiness Skills: : A list of personal qualities and people skills, professional knowledge and skills, and technology knowledge and skills identified by Virginia employers as essential for individual workplace success and critical to Virginia’s economic competitiveness.

Workplace Readiness: A Moving Target CTE aims to give students the skills to succeed in the workplace, but this is a moving target. A 1950 s education won’t prepare students for a 21 st century occupation.

Virginia’s Changing Workplace Research has continuously confirmed the need for workplace readiness skills for Virginia. 1997

The 1997 Research Led to the First WRS for Virginia • • • • Reading Mathematics Writing Speaking & Listening Computer Literacy Reasoning, Problem Solving, Decision Making Understanding the Big Picture Work Ethic Positive Attitude Independence and Initiative Self-presentation Satisfactory Attendance Teamwork

Why Update? What Has Changed Since the 1990 s? The economy has evolved and so have the ways we work. “ 21 st Century Skills” has provided some of the most important research.

The Players • Virginia Department of Education Demographics & Workforce Group, University of Virginia • Demographics and Workforce Group of the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, University of Virginia • Career and Technical Education Consortium of States (CTECS) • Virginia’s CTE Resource Center

Employers Want Schools to Teach WRS Who Should Be Responsible for Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills? Source: Are They Really Ready for Work, 2006

The Process for Updating the WRS List

“Very Important Skills” for HS Graduates Percent Ranking Skills as “Very Important” for High School Graduates Source: Are They Really Ready for Work, 2006

Why Do Academic Skills Have Lower Ratings? Because they are usually job specific.

Integrity Most Applied Skills are Universally Needed Critical thinking Work ethic Time management Conflict Resolution Health & safety

Final WRS List Personal Qualities & People Skills • Positive Work Ethic • Integrity • Teamwork • Self-Representation • Diversity Awareness • Conflict Resolution • Creativity & Resourcefulness Technology Knowledge & Skills • Job-Specific Technologies • Information Technology • Internet Use & Security • Telecommunications Professional Knowledge & Skills • Speaking & Listening • Reading & Writing • Critical Thinking & Problem Solving • Health & Safety • Organizations, Systems, & Climates • Lifelong Learning • Job Acquisition & Advancement • Time, Task, & Resource Management • Mathematics • Customer Service

Chapter 2 The new list was completed…and then Virginia • Introduced to the CTE Advisory Committee and CTE administrators across the state, April 2010 • Converted skills list into appropriate format for Virginia’s CTE curriculum, Spring 2010 (Skills became “tasks” with task definitions to amplify and describe the skills. ) • Researched and developed instructional resources to complement all WRS tasks, Spring 2010 • Introduced in a Verso email message, June 1, 2010, for implementation 2010 -11

The New WRS Are Organic Example: Sustainability

Teaching the WRS Technical tasks Full course The WRS can be infused throughout the course or taught as an instructional unit

Use WRS to Complement and Reinforce Technical Competencies WRS resources provided within each course framework include § § background information instructional activities lesson plans Web sites.

Chapter 3 Revision Instruction Assessment Credential/Verified Credit

Timeline for the New Industry Credential for the New WRS Virginia and CTECS worked to identify and develop test items, to conduct an assessment pilot, and to launch this stand-alone credential. Sept 2010: Experts’ meeting to ID test items March 2011: Pilot successfully completed; cut score determined April 2011: Full implementation of assessment

The CTECS-Provided Virginia WRS Assessment • This new assessment replaces other tests that were used in the past to assess WRS • Reasonable price ($9. 00) • Now offering a pretest ($6. 00) • Certificate of successful completion provided and can be used for verified graduation credit

Initial Statistics on the WRS Assessment • Began offering the assessment April 2011 • 100 -item multiple-choice test • 60 -minute timed test • 3, 693 students tested initially • 2, 400 students passed (65% pass rate) • 75% cut score

In Summary The New Workplace Readiness Skills for the Commonwealth • are well researched and up to date • are reflective of Virginia employer needs • are incorporated into all CTE courses • come with many teaching resources • are being assessed • are leading to an industryacknowledged and respected credential and are earning student-selected verified credit.

Questions? Peggy Watson CTE Resource Center 804 -673 -3778 info@cteresource. org http: //cteresource. org