By SCBIZ Staff

COLUMBIA -- The S.C. Department of Commerce and the Governor’s State Workforce Investment Board Tuesday launched a statewide nationally affiliated Career Readiness Certificate program based on WorkKeys. The announcement of the program’s launch was made at CMC Steel, a steel manufacturing facility in West Columbia that has used the program for its hiring and training purposes. 

“As we work to compete in today’s global economy, our state’s ability to identify and deliver a skilled work force is critical. This effort is another important step to further enhance the economic soil conditions and give businesses the tools they need to thrive in South Carolina,” Gov. Mark Sanford said. 

WorkKeys is a job skills assessment system measuring real world, practical skills that employers believe are critical to job success. These skills are applicable across numerous occupations and span all educational, professional and skills levels.

“WorkKeys is a powerful tool that allows business to assess employee skills and profile jobs to determine specific skills needed. This coupled with our nationally recognized worker training program, readySC, gives South Carolina the ability to recruit industry with the confidence that we can provide a skilled work force to meet specific industry needs,” Secretary of Commerce Joe Taylor said.

While the WorkKeys program has been used by businesses across South Carolina for more than 10 years, Tuesday’s launch marks the first statewide, nationally affiliated Career Readiness Certificate. The statewide application of the program creates a common language that will help to identify skill levels of job-seekers and communicate those skills to business and industry. 

The desire for a coordinated, statewide initiative arose as use of the program grew in South Carolina.  Organizations that contributed to this effort include the South Carolina Technical College System, the state Chamber of Commerce, the Palmetto Institute and the Workforce Education Task Force of the Council on Competitiveness. The Department of Commerce and the Workforce Education Task Force established a WorkKeys Task Force comprised of representatives from the local Workforce Investment Act administrators, technical colleges, adult education, vocational rehabilitation and business and industry to collaborate, finalize and implement this statewide approach.

“The statewide work readiness certificate will allow South Carolina’s workers to demonstrate their mastery of important workplace skills and it will allow our businesses to quickly and effectively identify workers with the skills to fill their job vacancies,” said Pat Hudson, chairman of the state Workforce Investment Board. “This certificate is an important tool in the Governor’s State Workforce Investment Board’s continuing efforts to raise the standard of living and quality of life for all South Carolinians.”

Statewide coordination also enables the state to have a central database of skills. Access to that database with South Carolina WorkKeys scores is available online. Aggregate scores can be explored by region, county, or statewide, giving prospective employers a means by which to determine a location that will accommodate the company’s workforce needs.  According to a survey conducted by Area Development magazine, a skilled work force is among the top decision criteria for corporate relocation.

The WorkKeys Career Readiness Certificates are already recognized by more than 250 employers in South Carolina as well as employers in 40 states. The certificate gives employers the ability to match scores on the test with specific skill levels needed to confidently hire a ready-to-work employee. More than 55,000 South Carolinians have already qualified for a WorkKeys certificate. In fact, South Carolina is the third largest user of this system in the nation.