ACT and Manufacturing Skill Standards Council Announce Collaboration Designed to Expand Use of Stackable Credentials
ALEXANDRIA, Va. and IOWA CITY, Iowa, March 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC) and ACT today announced a formal collaboration to accelerate the use of stackable credentials from the two organizations: the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate™ (ACT NCRC®) and MSSC's Certified Production Technician (CPT) and Certified Logistics Technician (CLT) credentials.
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The ACT NCRC helps ensure that individuals have the academic and employability skills needed to enter a demanding MSSC advanced manufacturing (CPT) and/or advanced material handling (CLT) certification program of training and assessment. Accelerating the use of these credentials will help individuals find jobs and provide employers with workers who have the academic, employability and 21st century advanced manufacturing and logistics skills important to success.
There are a number of examples that illustrate the value of combining these credentials.
For example, from 2011-2013, under a U.S. Department of Labor grant, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the Southwestern Ohio Region Workforce Investment Board (SWORWIB) collaborated with industry and education to provide over 600 dislocated Ohio manufacturing workers with the opportunity to first secure an ACT NCRC and then the MSSC's CPT credentials. The outcomes included:
- Pass rates for all four of the CPT modules exceeded 90%—nine points above the national average
- 425 dislocated workers found employment
- Another 25% entered a postsecondary education/training program rather than seek immediate reemployment
- Subsequently, through the use of federal "Rapid Response" funds, SWORWIB provided the same opportunity to an additional 281 dislocated workers. Of those, 165 earned an ACT NCRC and CPT credentials; 122 found employment; and 42 entered a postsecondary education/training program.
In addition, under the "Get Skills to Work" (GSTW) program led by General Electric, Alcoa, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, the Gary Sinise Foundation and NAM's Manufacturing Institute, Cincinnati State Technical Community College used the ACT NCRC and CPT credentials to launch the first GSTW credentialing pilot for military veterans. Of the 68 graduates from the pilot program:
- 80% gained full time employment
- 70% of those interviewed were hired within 30 days or elected to enroll in school full-time within 60 days.
Finally, the Kentucky Manufacturing Career Center (KMCC) opened in May 2013. Since that time:
- 356 people who earned an ACT NCRC and CPT credentials have been placed in jobs
- 127 students earned the MSSC - CPT full certification
- Completers earned four college credit hours at Jefferson County Community & Technical College (JCTC) for use toward AA degrees.
Building on the success of initiatives such as these across the nation, MSSC and ACT will formally begin working together on marketing initiatives including additional case study development, advertising, public relations, research and event marketing to communicate the benefits of stackable credentials in workforce development, education and policy.
MSSC is the leading certifying body for the nation's front-line manufacturing production and supply chain logistics workers and the only one accredited by ANSI under ISO 17024 (Personnel Certification) and endorsed by the National Association of Manufacturers for both manufacturing and logistics.
"Our experience is that students who first secure the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate have succeeded in getting their full CPT Certifications at a far higher rate than the national average," said Leo Reddy, chairman and chief executive officer of MSSC.
ACT, the Iowa-based assessment company, offers workplace skills curricula, assessments and certification of foundational workplace skills.
In 2009, ACT and MSSC were named founding partners in the National Association of Manufacturers-endorsed Skills Certification System. This system, similar to other US Department of Labor industry competency models, is built on a series of tiers. The base tiers represent essential foundation skills. The ACT National Career Readiness Certificate based on ACT WorkKeys assessments, certifies these skills and enables an individual to rise to the next tier to advance toward success in a chosen occupation.
"Our organizations have a long history of working to help individuals succeed," said Steve Kappler, ACT vice president of brand experience. "This new collaboration will help us leverage that history to more effectively influence results."
About ACT
ACT is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people achieve education and workplace success. Headquartered in Iowa City, Iowa, ACT is trusted as the nation's leader in college and career readiness, providing high-quality achievement assessments grounded in more than 50 years of research and experience. ACT offers a uniquely integrated set of solutions that help people succeed from elementary school through career, providing insights that unlock potential. To learn more about ACT, go to www.act.org.
About MSSC
The Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC), a 501(c)3 non-profit, is an industry-led, training, assessment and certification system focused on the core technical skills and knowledge needed by the nation's front-line production and material handling workers. The nationwide MSSC System, based upon industry-defined and federally endorsed national standards, is the national gold standard for front-line industrial training and certification. To learn more about MSSC, go to www.msscusa.org.
Contacts:
Dina Igoe, MSSC Public Relations
703.739.9000 x2226; Email
Katie Wacker, ACT Public Relations
319.337.1028; Email
SOURCE Manufacturing Skill Standards Council
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