Building the Foundation for a Successful Workforce

Now more than ever, we need a strong, skilled workforce to overcome today's employment challenges.  Providing opportunities for the current and future workforce to develop work-readiness skills is critical to the future success of the DuPage County workforce.

One of the biggest complaints voiced by employers is that entry level job applicants do not have the basic skills necessary fro the job.  Through various initiatives we seek to provide opportunities for DuPage residents, of all ages and abilities, to develop work-readiness skills.

The Foundation has been working with a task force comprised of local leaders interested in launching the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) in DuPage County.  Task force members include DCF, DuPage Workforce Investment Board, West Suburban Jobs Council, College of DuPage, Waubonsee Community College, Quad County Urban League, Technology Center of DuPage and local businesses.

The NCRC is the work-related skills credential that provides a fair and objective measurement of an individual's workplace skills.  Just as the ACT test assesses an individual's college-readiness, the NCRC which is also a product of ACT, assesses an individual with tangible data supporting his/her core work abilities which can be shared with a potential employer, used to help re-direct his/her career path or serve as a stepping stone for further training and skill-building.

An individual's score on the WorkKeys assessment determines his or her level of skill for jobs which make up ACT's database of occupation profiles.  For example, someone who obtains a platinum score has the skills for 99% of the jobs and someone with a bronze score has skills for 35% of the jobs in the database.

The assessment can be taken multiple times providing an individual with the opportunity and incentive to continue developing his/her skill level through various group and on-line skill-building programs.

Currently public high school students take two of the three WorkKeys assessments as part of the state-required Prairies State Achievement Exam which is take in their junior year of high school.  By offering the third component, Locating Information, students would graduate with the NCRC certification and would have a tangible assessment of their work-readiness skills.  The task force is exploring the possibility of piloting a program to offer students at several local high schools the opportunity to obtain the NCRC and participate in work-readiness and skill-building programs.

In addition to many benefits to individuals and employers, the value of the NCRC to the local workforce is that it:

• Enables employers and educators to work collaboratively toward the common goal of a highly skilled workforce
• Provides proof that the workforce is ready for jobs that are available
• Helps job seekers to understand the skills they are going to need
• Taps into a national, fully portable resource

Workforce Development Grant Funding and Impact

$2,000 Sponsorship for the Dare to Dream Conference - April 2010
The focus of this conference was to educate 8th grade Latina girls and their mothers on the benefits of a college education for future job success and the high school educational track that these students must follow in order to be admitted into college.  Deeply rooted cultural issues prevent many of these girls from pursuing a college education.


$4,000 to the Naperville Youth Development Coalition - November 2010
Funding was given to support the 4th Annual KidsMatter Job Fair to help prepare young DuPage residents for the workforce by focusing on the development of basic skills needed to become successful workers.  Workshops, a mock interview station, internship station and career corner, all led by professionals, are offered to help students navigate the planning and decision-making process necessary to secure a job.  As the future workforce of our communities, it's imperative that students develop these critical skills at an early age.  Additionally, the job fair serves to connect teen job seekers with local employers.