For Immediate Release

 

Date:                December 10, 2009

Contact:            Office of Government, Policy and Public Relations

Phone:              (303) 318-8004

Fax:                  (303) 318-8070

Web:                www.coworkforce.com

 

 

STATE LAUNCHES CAREERREADY COLORADO CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

New credentialing system measures job skills and supports skill building for career success

 

(DENVER) – The Jefferson County Workforce Center today hosted Governor Bill Ritter for an event to formally introduce the CareerReady Colorado Certificate program, a unique employee credentialing system that provides employers with a way to readily identify applicants who have taken steps to build skills for success.  The governor was joined by Senate President Brandon C. Shaffer, Colorado Department of Labor and Employment Executive Director Donald J. Mares and representatives from several businesses and workers that are benefiting from the new program.

 

Obtaining a CareerReady Colorado Certificate represents a genuine investment in a person’s career development – and it does not come easily.  It requires that candidates obtain passing scores on a series of three tests which are given in proctored settings at workforce centers across the state.  The tests are created by ACT, the company recognized internationally for its college admission and placement examinations.

 

Skills are measured in the categories of Applied Math, Reading for Information and Locating Information.  More than 85 percent of job profiles compiled by ACT have shown that skills in these areas are particularly important to employers and correlate directly with job performance.  The certificate, signed by Governor Ritter, is offered to workers in a three-tiered fashion.  Gold represents an advanced skill level, Silver is for proficiency and Bronze certifies basic skill sets.

 

The CareerReady Colorado Certificate program was initiated earlier this year by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment with financial support from the Colorado Workforce Development Council.  During the first half of 2009, the CareerReady Colorado Certificate was piloted in eight workforce regions where 700 workers received certification.

 

“Those regional successes led to the statewide roll-out which is now underway,” says Donald J. Mares, Executive Director of the Department of Labor and Employment.  “Career readiness certification is an achievement that makes job seekers more competitive for higher wage jobs.  For employers, it takes the guesswork out of high-stakes decisions concerning hiring and promoting.  Employers who use the certificate as a part of their hiring practices know they are hiring workers with the greatest potential and, as a result, are reducing turnover and training costs for their business.”

 

Mares says that with this statewide launch, Colorado now joins more than twenty other states with similar career readiness certification initiatives in place.  “As these other states have demonstrated, the CareerReady Colorado Certificate program is preparing stronger job applicants with greater skills and higher standards,” he says.  “CareerReady Colorado will even recommend additional curriculum for those seeking to further improve their skills.  Individuals can use training tools at their local Workforce Center and online at little or no cost.”  A full list of Workforce Centers is available online at http://www.coworkforce.com/emp/wfcs.asp.

 

“We are ensuring that Colorado’s workforce is the best it can be,” says Governor Ritter.  “The CareerReady Colorado Certificate will help us measure those skills and help Coloradans obtain the education and training they need to obtain higher wage jobs.  This innovative career preparation program is moving Colorado forward in meeting the needs of the changing global economy and workplace.”

 

Interested job seekers and employers should contact the nearest Workforce Center to learn more.  Additional information is available at www.CareerReadyColorado.org.

 

 

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Photo 1:  Governor Ritter poses with several of the employers at the December 10 event who are currently using the CareerReady Colorado certificate to make the best hires for their companies.  Reggie Fullwood, Senior Vice President and General Manager with Ameristar Casino Resort Spa in Black Hawk says the certificate “helps us to identify the best qualified candidates in the most timely manner.  Working with the Workforce Centers to administer the assessments has made it very easy for us.”

 

Photo 2:  David Bebout is a new employee with Envergent, a Colorado company.  He is holding his Gold Level CareerReady Colorado Certificate which he cites as a valuable tool in helping him land his job.  At the formal launch of the certificate program, he had his certificate autographed by Governor Ritter.