FAQs

Job Seekers

Q. What does the Work Ready Certificate measure?

A. The Work Ready assessment is administered by ACT's nationally accredited WorkKeys® system and measures both core skills and work habits. The Work Ready assessment quantifies skills in two areas: core skills assessment measures skills in applied mathematics, reading for information and locating information, three skill areas that are highly important to the majority of jobs in the workplace.  The Work Habits assessment measures work-related attitudes and behaviors in areas that are trainable and coachable, such as carefulness, cooperation, discipline and drive. This enables Georgians to include with confidence strengths they bring to the workplace and helps them understand areas they may want to improve.

Q. How does an individual earn a Work Ready Certificate?

A. Utilizing the nationally accredited ACT WorkKeys assessment system developed by ACT, individuals can complete a Georgia Work Ready assessment at no charge at Work Ready Centers located at technical colleges across the state. To obtain a Work Ready Certificate, job seekers must attain a minimum level of three in the applied mathematics, locating information and reading for information individual assessments. After successfully completing the assessment, individuals receive a Georgia Work Ready Certificate that includes the ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate seal and a portfolio identifying the skill levels they have demonstrated. That skill level can be matched to jobs throughout the state.

Q. How is my Work Ready Certificate level determined?

A. The Work Ready Certificate level is based on the lowest level earned in the three assessment areas - applied mathematics, reading for information and locating information. Levels are determined as follows:

• Platinum: awarded to those who score at or above a level 6 on each of the core areas
• Gold: awarded to those who score at or above a level 5 on each of the core areas
• Silver: awarded to those who score at or above a level 4 on each of the core areas
• Bronze: awarded to those who score at or above a level 3 on each of the core areas

Q. Why is it important to earn a Work Ready Certificate?

A. There is great concern among employers about the skills gap that exists between those skills required on the job and those exhibited by potential and incumbent workers. Employers experience great difficulty in hiring people who have basic employability skills and who are trainable for specific jobs. The Georgia Work Ready Certificate is a portable skills credential that ensures employers of a job seeker's skills.

Q. Where are Work Ready assessments given?

A. The Work Ready assessment is given at the state's network of technical colleges. You can select your county from the tool on the upper right of this page to get started.

Q. What is the Georgia Work Ready Certificate?

A. The Georgia Work Ready Certificate is a portable credential easily and universally understood and valued by employers, educators and recipients. The Certificate shows that an individual has certain fundamental skills needed in the workplace. The Work Ready assessment is administered through ACT's nationally accredited WorkKeys® system.

Q. How long does the assessment process take?

A.

There are 3 sections (Applied Mathematics, Locating Information and Reading for Information).  Each section takes about 45 to 55 minutes to complete. There is also an additional section called Talent Assessment that is optional which takes 30 to 45 minutes.  If the assessment is performed on a computer, scores are available immediately. Turnaround time for scores for pencil and paper assessments is 7 to 14 days.

Q. What should I bring to the assessment?

A. Please bring a non-graphing calculator.

Q. How many times can I take the assessment for free?

A. Candidates may take the Work Ready assessment up to three times, as long as they have successfully completed skills gap training prior to each retest. You must also wait 30 days before retaking the assessment.

Q. What happens if the assessment score does not meet the requirements of a certain type of job?

A. For those seeking to improve their assessment scores, online gap training is available at no cost via the Work Ready Centers at Georgia's technical colleges. Individualized instruction may also be provided at no charge through adult education centers located on main or satellite campuses. For a small fee, you or your employer can access instructor-led training through you local technical college's continuing education department. Once training is completed, individuals can retake the assessment. Assessments can be retaken up to three times at no charge.

Q. How can I improve my work habits level?

A. Work Habits results show the strengths you will bring to the workplace, areas where you may want to cultivate your skills and areas where you will want to construct plans for improving some of your work habits. You can develop work habits improvement plans through online gap training available at all technical colleges at no cost.

Q. Is the Georgia Work Ready Certificate nationally recognized?

A. Yes. The Georgia Work Ready Certificate is powered by ACT WorkKeys, a nationally recognized assessment and research company. The gold National Career Readiness Certificate seal validates the national portability of the Work Ready Certificate.

Q. What incentive is there for someone who has a job to become Work Ready Certified?

A. Earning a Work Ready Certificate can help those currently employed earn promotions, better adapt to changing work environments or find gaps in their knowledge and obtain, at not cost, training to help them reach the next level in their career.

Q. How do people with special needs take the Work Ready assessment?

A. It is best to contact your local technical college and ask about its special needs policy.

Q. Is the assessment provided in languages other than English?

A. No. English is the language of business in Georgia. Since jobs are profiled in English, only by matching the outcome of Work Ready Certificates in English can employers accurately match job seekers to job profiles. Georgia has an extensive network of English as a second language (ESL) classes available to all residents. Those job seekers who need to improve their English skills are encouraged to enroll in these courses at their nearest technical college.

Q. Who should I contact if my work Ready Certificate does not arrive in the mail within four to six weeks? What if there is a mistake on my Certificate?

A.

Delayed Certificates or printing errors should be reported directly to the Governor's Office of Workforce Development by e-mailing help@gaworkready.org or calling 404-463-5030.

Businesses

Q. How can I receive a free Work Ready job profile?

A. Job profiles may be free of charge if a company meets the following hiring criteria: 15 net new jobs in the same job classification for manufacturing and warehouse and distribution sectors and 25 net new jobs in the same job classification in the service sector.

Q. How many Georgia workers currently have achieved a Work Ready certificate?

A. To date, more than 26,000 Georgians have completed the assessment and hold Georgia Work Ready Certificates.

Q. How can a Georgia company use the job profile for hiring?

A. Job profiles match the skills required to successfully perform a job with a corresponding Work Ready Certificate level. Georgia companies can include the appropriate Work Ready Certification level in their hiring criteria as a means to ensure applicants possess the appropriate skills.

Q. Is job profiling only for large employers? How can small businesses get involved?

A. Businesses of any size can take advantage of Work Ready to improve their hiring processes. While larger companies should have a job profile completed before listing the Work Ready Certificate as a part of its hiring criteria; small companies can use occupational profiles (available via the link to the right) and request job candidates complete the Work Ready assessment as part of the job application process.

Q. What are the benefits Georgia companies will receive from participation in the Work Ready program?

A. Companies that use the Georgia Work Ready Certificate program to assess their incoming and current workforce can achieve substantial benefits, including improved hiring procedures, reduced turnover and training costs, increased productivity and higher employee morale.

Economic Development

Q. What is the Certified Work Ready Community designation?

A. Just as Georgia's Work Ready Certificate provides individuals a means to demonstrate their skills to current and potential employers, the Certified Work Ready Community designation enables entire counties to showcase their ability to staff both existing and new industry.

Q. How is Certified Work Ready Community status determined?

A. Counties that demonstrate a commitment to improving public high school graduation rates and where specified percentages of graduates enter the workforce, or current workers and the unemployed obtain a Work Ready Certificate, will be designated Certified Work Ready Communities.

Q. How long does it take to earn Certified Work Ready Community status?

A. Counties have up to three years to complete the certification process.

Q. How can my community track progress in earning the Certified Work Ready Community designation?

A. Monthly county status reports will be issued for all counties. Team leaders will be given the link to access this information on the Web site to share with county teams.

Q. Who is involved in the process of becoming a Certified Work Ready Community?

A. Everyone is a partner in workforce development - education, business, economic development and individuals - with a common, strategic vision to prepare Georgia and its citizens for the future.

Q. How can I get involved in earning Certified Work Ready Community status?

A. Contact your local chamber of commerce or technical college for information on how you can help your community become Certified Work Ready.

Q. How can the Certified Work Ready Community be used?

A. In economic development, Certified Work Ready Community status is a means of demonstrating that the community's existing labor force can fill existing job vacancies and meet changing business needs.

Q. How does the Certified Work Ready Community designation fit with the state's other programs, like Quick Start?

A. The Work Ready initiative focuses on building foundational skills that workers need for success in a wide variety of jobs. Additionally, Work Ready supports longer-term educational opportunities by promoting gap training, work habits training and life-long learning opportunities. Other workforce development programs, such as Quick Start, provide short-term training for customized skills required by specific companies and industry sectors. These programs fit together to supply companies with workers who have solid, foundational skills of benefit to longer-term employment and the specialty skills needed for success in specific jobs today.

Q. What are the benefits of earning Certified Work Ready Community status?

A. The ability to promote your community as Work Ready will assist in attracting new business and preserving the health of your area's existing economic base. Certified Work Ready Communities can guarantee workers have the talent necessary for existing jobs and the skills to master the innovative technologies tomorrow's jobs will require. And, by ensuring citizens have the skills to obtain quality jobs, Certified Work Ready Communities will enjoy an increased tax based, decreased unemployment and improved quality of life.

Q. What are Work Ready Regions?

A. Building on the Certified Work Ready Communities, Work Ready Regions bring together their assets and leaders to create regional talent pools targeting existing strategic industries and to increase economic development opportunities.

Q. How does a region become a Work Ready Region?

A. Criteria for success includes creating industry-driven regional solutions to improving the high school graduation rate, engaging at-risk and out-of-school youth, supporting high school and middle school career coaches, retraining dislocated workers, increasing post-secondary graduation rates and upgrading the skills of the existing workforce.

Q. Who is involved with Work Ready Regions?

A. Each regional effort is being led by a local businessperson associated with the strategic industry. This leader has assembled an industry network to ensure the region's work plan meets the needs of the industry, both current and future.

Q. Where are Georgia's Work Ready Regions and what industries are they addressing?

A. Current Work Ready Regions include: Greater Atlanta-Athens area for bioscience and logistics Chattahoochee Valley area for aerospace, automotive and defense maintenance, advanced communications and energy Eastern I-16 area for logistics Greater Macon area for aerospace Heart of Georgia for advanced manufacturing Northwest Georgia for automotive advanced manufacturing West Central Georgia for automotive advanced manufacturing

Q. How does Work Ready help Georgia differentiate itself from our economic development competition?

A. The Work Ready initiative, built in partnership with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, is unique in that we not only provide free assessments and certification for our workers, but the state provides gap training to help workers meet their employment goals. Georgia is the only state with a platinum level of certification – indicating the individual possesses high-level skills appropriate to the most cutting-edge workplaces. Work Ready also provides free job profiling services to companies that meet minimum hiring criteria to ensure their jobs correlate to workers' talents.