WorkKeys® is an industry-driven system of job profiling, assessment and instructional support that helps businesses identify the skills and skill levels employees must have to perform jobs effectively. It is a program of ACT, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that specializes in assessment and research.
A portable credential based upon the WorkKeys® assessments from ACT Inc. The KEC assesses in three different skill areas:
These skill areas were chosen because they were the most utilized assessments in the Occupational profile database at ACT.
There are three different levels to the KEC:
The KEC is endorsed by:
To obtain a KEC, you must first take a WorkKeys® Assessment in the areas of Reading for Information, Locating Information, and Applied Mathematics and achieve at least a Level 3 in all three assessments. If you don’t score at the appropriate levels, targeted instruction is available to help raise your skill levels. Job Profiling gives employers the opportunity to improve their businesses by using assessments and instruction specific to their needs.
There is a method for getting a KEC that is just right for you. You can enroll at a KCTCS college near you, an adult education center in your community or your local Kentucky One-Stop Center.
The KEC is new, but thousands of companies across the United States and Canada have experienced the benefits of WorkKeys®. A sample of Kentucky employers who are using WorkKeys® and the KEC include:
To find out if a specific company in your community accepts the KEC, contact your local KCTCS college.
With the KEC, employers can hire with confidence knowing that an employee or job seeker with a certificate has demonstrated mastery of job-related skills.
With a KEC, an employee/job seeker can demonstrate their skill levels to employers in a common language that is easily understood.
WorkKeys® and the KEC are free services provided to Adult Education Learning Center Students.
Yes. Studies show that jobs requiring higher skills in math, locating information and reading pay higher entry-level salaries. In fact, skill levels appear to show a stronger correlation to pay than education levels. By increasing their skill levels, individuals increase their opportunities for higher salaries.
Not at all. The largest and fastest growing area of employers' interest in WorkKeys® is for professional, technical and managerial jobs requiring higher-than-average education levels. The second largest category is for skilled trade jobs. U.S. employers have commissioned WorkKeys® job profiles for more than 12,000 jobs, ranging from accountant to automotive technician and from welder to Webmaster.