Springfield to host Midwest skills-assessment conference

The conference will be Oct. 29–31 at the Oasis Hotel and Convention Center. Participants from more than a dozen Midwestern states will converge, including representatives from community colleges, work force investment boards, businesses and government entities.

The conference will focus on the benefits for businesses of using Career Readiness Certificates in their hiring processes. A key component of the certificates is the WorkKeys skills assessment system which assures employers that a job applicant has the necessary employable skills in three core areas identified by businesses as critical: applied mathematics, reading comprehension and locating information, according to a Missouri Department of Economic Development news release.

Rod Nunn, the new director of Education and Workforce Innovation, also will announce the statewide launch of the Missouri Career Readiness Certificate. The program utilizes a combination of job analysis, assessment and training to ensure Missouri workers have real workplace skills and can compete in today’s labor market, according to the release.

“This conference is an excellent occasion for our sister states to share and learn about skills assessment systems as a critical component of helping businesses thrive in the 21st century economy,” Missouri Division of Workforce Development interim Director Dawn Busick said in the release. “We hope they enjoy the hospitality from one of Missouri’s premier cities, and that the kickoff of our own innovative Career Readiness Certificate will add to their experience.”

Event registration information and a conference schedule are available at www.ded.mo.gov/wfd.