WorkKeys Assessments to Be Offered at Chatt Tech

Georgians looking to verify their skills for potential employers will once again have that opportunity as Chattahoochee Technical College announces a testing schedule for the National Career Readiness Certificate to begin in October.

National Career Readiness Certificates are earned by passing the three core assessments of the ACT WorkKeys system—Applied Mathematics, Locating Information and Reading for Information. These were the same three assessments offered previously through the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development’s Georgia Work Ready Program, which stopped recently after six years. 

“The assessments measure the real world skills of Georgia's workers,” explained Chattahoochee Technical College Program Assistant Tammy Hufstetler. “They are a great tool for people who are looking for work or promotions, as well as useful for hiring managers to consider as part of the process.”

The three core assessments will be offered for $40, which includes the costs of the National Career Readiness Certificate, if earned. This is a savings of 67 percent off the ACT fees if one were to take the tests through other centers. Other WorkKeys skill assessments are also available at $20 each.

Assessments will be initially available at the Marietta, North Metro and Appalachian campuses on a set schedule. Preregistration at least three days prior to the exam is required. Valid photo identification is required at the time of the assessment. Special accommodations are available with documentation, and must be approved prior to the assessment date.

The WorkKeys Assessments are the same assessments available under the Georgia Work Ready Program. Applicants scoring a level 3 or higher on each of the core assessments will earn a National Career Readiness Certificate. The color designation of that certificate – bronze, silver, gold or platinum – will be based on the lowest common score of the three assessments.

Over the six years of the Georgia Work Ready Program, more than 300,000 residents participated in earning a certificate to verify their skills and knowledge level to potential employers. The six counties served by Chattahoochee Technical College were central to those efforts.

“All of six of our counties were Certified Work Ready Communities prior to the end of the initiative,” explained Hufstetler. “Overall we earned around 8.7 percent of the total certificates earned in Georgia. When you consider that we are only six counties out of 159 that is quite an accomplishment.”