The National Work Readiness Council is a national nonprofit workforce development, training, and advocacy organization formed in 2003 and officially incorporated in 2007 by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The initial vision was to identify entry level foundational skills that job seekers need to pursue career pathways. The NWRC convened employers across industries, chambers of commerce, unions, educators, and workforce training professionals nationwide to build a common language and standards to define foundational career readiness.

The vision was expanded based on collaborative partner research such as:

• U.S. Department of Labor O*NET Content Model
• U.S. Department of Labor Building Blocks Competency Model
• U.S. Department of Education Employability Skills Framework
• National Network Business and Industry Associations Common Employability Skills
• Center for Literacy, Education and Employment Equipped for the Future

The NWRC works to identify skill gaps and partner with educational training providers to bridge those gaps. It focuses on defining the skills needed by workers across all industries to ensure the workforce is equipped with the knowledge and abilities to meet the demands of the dynamic job market.  Partner providers also help workers identify potential career paths and make informed decisions about their education and training.

The NWRC especially advocates for job skills training for adults. Given the rapid pace of technological advancement and ever-changing job market, adults must have access to opportunities that equip them with the skills to remain competitive. Advocating for job skills training also promotes equity and social justice by providing opportunities for underserved communities to break the cycle of poverty and achieve self-sufficiency. Focus areas for advocacy:

• Partnership Development - identifying and partnering with like-minded career readiness champions to promote awareness of and access to foundational employability skills policy and solutions.
• Industry Awareness – bringing attention to the need for collective focus and action around foundational employability skills development in partnership with targeted industry sectors.
• Public Policy- developing a network of influencers to advance policies that promote and fund expanded access to foundational employability skills.

Because the O*NET Database is the nation's primary source of occupational information, the NWRC has turned to O*NET to best understand the rapidly changing nature and future of work and the skills needed for the workforce to succeed. O*NET OnLine has detailed descriptions of the world of work for use by job seekers, workforce development and HR professionals, students, developers, researchers, and others. Users can search across 900+ occupations based on their goals and needs. The site also offers comprehensive reports to learn about requirements, characteristics, and available opportunities for selected occupations. A customized OnLine Help feature is available throughout the site, or a Desk Aid.

The NWRC also issues nationally recognized career readiness credentials that validate mastery of the foundational academic skills, soft skills, and digital skills most in-demand by employers. All credentials are issued and endorsed by the NWRC in partnership with WIN Learning, a national career readiness solutions company and publisher of online foundational work ready curriculum and assessments.  The NWRC has endorsed the following credentials.

• The Academic Skills Credential is based on three proctored career readiness assessments validating mastery of the foundational employability skills (math, reading, and data analysis) commonly required for most jobs according to the U.S. Department of Labor O*NET Job Zone Framework.
• The Soft Skills Credential measures entry-level work tasks and behaviors, including communicating effectively; conveying professionalism; promoting teamwork and collaboration; and thinking critically and solving problems.
• The Digital Skills Credential measures a learner’s basic digital skills as needed to navigate technology in the workplace. The assessment evaluates skills across five areas: (1) Computer Operations, (2) Internet Browsing, (3) Digital Communication, (4) Digital Documents, and (5) Digital Security.
• Credential Achievement Levels and O*NET Job Zones - There are five Job Zones in the O*NET Content Model Framework. Each Job Zone represents a group of occupations based on the education, training, and experience required, with Job Zone 1 occupations requiring the least amount of education and experience, and Job Zone 5 occupations requiring the most. The four credential Achievement Levels (2, 3, 4, and 5) were designed based on the O*NET Job Zones. Each Achievement Level correlates to an O*NET Job Zone. Earning an Achievement Level 2 credential indicates that a learner has the foundational skills needed to pursue career pathways in Job Zone 2. Earning a higher Achievement Level indicates a learner's readiness to pursue career pathways in higher level Job Zones, providing them access to a greater percentage of occupational possibilities.

The future direction of the NWRC is to focus on:

• Building a coalition of like-minded professionals to amplify foundational career readiness policy.
• Researching and identifying the academic skills, soft skills, and digital skills most in-demand by employers.
• Sharing and advancing the implementation of foundational career readiness best practices through education and workforce stakeholder, media, and community outreach.

The founding partners for the NWRC included: New York Department of Labor; Workforce Florida (now CareerSource Florida); New Jersey Employment and Training Commission; the departments of labor and training for the State of Rhode Island, State of Washington, and the District of Columbia; and Junior Achievement Worldwide.

Early funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, the National Institute for Literacy, and the founding partners.

Resources

Credentials - National Work Readiness Council

O*NET OnLine Homepage

Help - O*NET OnLine

Desk Aid - O*NET OnLine