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Kristin's Blog
May 18
The Manufacturing Institute Supports the NCRC
by  Kristin EkkensNo presence information  on 5/18/2012 9:43 AM

During a recent keynote speech, "The Talent Crisis: Building a 21st Century Workforce", ​Jennifer McNelly, President of The Manufacturing Institute which is a non-profit arm of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), urged employers to adopt the NCRC in their recruiting and hiring. 

To find out why, read the full article in The Journal Times​.

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May 08
Best Practice: College and Career Ready - Student Planning Guide
by  Kristin EkkensNo presence information  on 5/8/2012 2:31 PM
Category: Best Practices

ECC Guide copy.pngElgin School District U-46 and Elgin Community College in Illinois put together an excellent Student Planning Guide.  The handbook is divided into four sections and is easy to navigate. The courses of study are aligned with the WorkKeys Assessment Scores needed.  Career pathways are aligned with National and State income earning potentials as well as job prospect ratings. This is a great tool to emulate! 

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May 04
Call for Applicants: ACT Certified Work Ready Communities
by  Kristin EkkensNo presence information  on 5/4/2012 1:39 PM

Interested in being a Certified Work Ready Community? Read this message from Debra Lyons:

I am pleased to announce that applications are currently being accepted for new states to join the ACT Certified Work Ready Communities initiative. We’re thrilled with the great work our first four states – Kentucky, Missouri, Oregon and South Carolina – have accomplished, and we’re excited about partnering with even more states and communities in the effort to close our nation’s skills gap.
The application is available online now and will be accepted through Friday, June 29. The first Certified Work Ready Communities Academy session will take place in Atlanta August 28-30.

We will accept up to five new states during the current application window – but we do expect to offer another entry point this winter.

Please visit our website for more information and do not hesitate to contact me should you have questions.​
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May 03
Best Practice: Video Challenge for high school students
by  Kristin EkkensNo presence information  on 5/3/2012 6:28 PM
One challenge I've heard over and over across the country is spreading awareness about the career readiness certificate among students, parents, teachers, and employers.
 
On Wednesday, May 2, 2012, I witnessed a best practice in Central Louisiana that should be replicated by all communities! The Rapides Foundation sponsored the 2012 Video Challenge in which high school students had the opportunity to create a 60-second clip on the importance of the NCRC, WorkKeys and Career Ready 101 in preparing them for a career. They were asked to involve employers, parents, and teachers in research and production of the videos. 
 
Here is an excerpt from the local newspaper: 

More than 30 local high schools competed in The Rapides Foundation's 2012 Video Challenge, and Plainview High went home with the gold -- or in this case, the $10,000. The southwest Rapides Parish school took the comedy route in the creation of its video on the importance of professional training and skill development through Career Ready 101 and the National Career Readiness Certificate.​  Read more....

Click here​ to view the top 3 winning videos! ​

Watch this video to learn what area employers had to say.  

Congratulations to The Rapides Foundation, The Orchard Foundation, and CENLA Work Ready Network for such a successful event!

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April 26
Advocates 2012 Pre-Conference Session
by  Kristin EkkensNo presence information  on 4/26/2012 5:39 PM
Category: Advocate Events

Take a look at our updated Conferences page to view and download 

  1. The Advocates Pre-Conference Session presentation on Employer Engagement, and
  2. The Advocates' concurrent session presentation. We will be posting the summary from the discussion groups as well as the group flip chart responses early next week. 
Take a look at the Program Highlights​.

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April 25
ACT Announces New Initiative
by  Kristin EkkensNo presence information  on 4/25/2012 3:19 PM

BREAKING NEWS from ACT!

ACT will work with community or regional conveners, or “champions,” such as community college partners, to organize groups of employers who will have the opportunity to use the NCRC Plus - at no cost - to assess up to 20 individuals per employer.

To learn more and apply, visit http://www.tomorrowsworkforcenow.com​.  Applications will be accepted May 1, 2012 through the end of 2012. 

This is a great opportunity for employers to pilot and experience the benefits of the NCRC Plus first hand!

Also see the Press Release​.

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April 24
ACT's Workforce 2012 Conference
by  Kristin EkkensNo presence information  on 4/24/2012 4:44 PM


martin copy.png​What an amazing conference!  I will continue to post about the conference over the next few weeks. If you were not able to attend the conference, be sure to watch the opening remarks​ from Martin Scaglione, President of ACT's Workforce Division. 


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March 29
ACT Workforce 2012 Program
by  Kristin EkkensNo presence information  on 3/29/2012 5:45 PM
Category: Advocate Events

​If you haven't registered for ACT's Workforce 2012 Conference in Chicago, April 10-13, 2012, perhaps this year's program will convince you. ​Take a peak: www.act.org/workforce2012/pdf/program2012.pdf


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March 21
Updated Certificate State Rank Graph
by  Kristin EkkensNo presence information  on 3/21/2012 4:52 PM
Category: Best Practices

​We've recently updated the Certificate State Rank Graph. This graph reports the top 10 states with the most reported NCRC's/CRC's. We will update the list one more time before ACT's Workforce 2012 conference in April, so send us your end of quarter updates by April 4! 

CertificateStateRank.png​
The current top 5 states are:

              • Georgia
              • South Carolina
              • Michigan
              • Florida
              • ​North Carolina

For more detail, refer to the List of Top 10 States with links to their reported numbers. We track the data by comparing ACT's Work Ready Communities page, http://workreadycommunities.org,​ and state websites. Please email us with links to certificate reports we are missing (kristin.ekkens@ncrcadvocates.org). And, be sure to let us know if your state belongs in the top ten list! 

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March 13
National CRC Advocates Pre-Conference: Employer Engagement
by  Kristin EkkensNo presence information  on 3/13/2012 3:06 PM

​Join us at the National CRC Advocates Pre-Conference Session: Employer Engagement at ACT's Workforce 2012 Conference in Chicago. We will be meeting from 2-5 on Tuesday, April 10. ACT's Workforce 2012​ is April 11-13, 2012. Plan your travels accordingly. 

Please be sure to come and introduce yourself to me!  

You won't want to miss the networking and discussion! Click on the button below to learn more about the event and to register. Seats are limited.​

Eventbrite - National CRC Advocates Pre-Conference Session: Employer Engagement
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 About this blog

 


KristinBlogImage 

Kristin Ekkens, Executive Director

National CRC Advocates

About the Blogger: 
Kristin Ekkens is the Executive Director of National CRC Advocates, a national not-for-profit that is dedicated to closing the workforce skills gap in America using the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC Plus) and related competency-based credentials. Previously, Ekkens was a program director and national consultant in workforce education, providing essential workplace skills training to managers, incumbent workers, and job seekers. The program she directed received multiple awards for quality and innovation and has received international exposure including a 2008 broadcast of ABC World News Tonight with Charles Gibson and recognition in 2011 as a best practice by Singapore Workforce Development Agency. 

Kristin is an author and presenter in the field of basic skills training, workforce education,  language learning, and cultural diversity.  She holds a master's degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from Michigan State University and a bachelor's degree with a dual major in Spanish and Linguistics from Calvin College in Michigan.