Event Sheds Light on Career Readiness Certification Benefits

GREENVILLE�Pitt Community College�s Continuing Education Division organized an event last month to give area employers information on the state�s Career Readiness Certificate (CRC) and how it can assist them with matching employees to the jobs they are best-suited to fill.

�We want to give the employer the tools necessary to plan, screen, select, train and promote the appropriate candidates,� said Steven Pearce, PCC�s Career Readiness Certificate administrator. �Key benefits of the CRC include a reduction in training costs and a reduction in turnover due to poor performance.�

Based upon ACT Inc.�s WorkKeys System, CRC is a job skills assessment test that offers employers a reliable means of determining a potential employee�s literacy, numeracy and problem-solving ability. Businesses looking to relocate can use the information the test provides to get an idea of the kinds of skills possessed by a particular area�s workforce.

Representatives from companies throughout Pitt County attended the CRC seminar, which took place Feb. 3 at Rep Express in Greenville. Also in attendance were Greenville City Council Member Rose Glover and Kathy Howard, associate vice president of the N.C. Eastern Region Development Commission, which sponsored the event.

Pearce helped coordinate the information session and was one of four presenters to speak during the program. He discussed PCC�s role as a CRC testing site.

ACT Inc.�s David Sweaney also spoke and shed light on the WorkKeys System and CRC while the Curtiss-Wright Corporation�s Matt Bulman discussed how CRC benefits industry. Pam Gobel, the N.C. Community College System�s director of Career Readiness Certification, explained how CRC plugs into Gov. Beverly Perdue�s plans for job development.

Pearce said employers in attendance were �given outlets and resources necessary to streamline the application process, reduce training time, increase skill level of current employees, and match the right person with the right job.� He said the college had already scheduled several meetings with employers wanting additional CRC information.