ECC Is a Leader in Career Preparedness

From left, DeVon Weathersbe and Lamiya Harrison take the Career Readiness Certification assessment, which is offered regularly at Edgecombe Community College. The CRC is a nationally recognized program that certifies essential workplace skills.

Edgecombe Community College is giving job applicants an edge through a program that certifies essential workplace skills.

Historically, job applicants with solid educations have a leg up in the process. But in today’s job market, a degree may not be enough, says J. Lynn Cale, associate vice president of instruction at ECC. Employers want proof that graduates are work ready.

For the past 15 years, Edgecombe Community College has offered the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate (CRC) for its students. Since 2010, all curriculum students have been required to take the assessment.

The CRC is a portable skills credential that gives employers and job seekers a uniform, standard, objective measure of key workplace skills. It certifies that a person has workplace skills that are transferrable between industry sectors and across jobs within a sector.

“Business and industry want to know that a student can work in the real world,” Cale says. “Employers want to know that the graduate has what it takes to work side by side with other people.

“Having the technical prowess in your field of study is important, but a Career Readiness Certificate gives employers more confidence when making a decision.”

The CRC is accepted by more than 10,000 employers nationwide as a reliable way to verify work skills.

The assessment is divided into three tests: reading for information, applied math, and locating information. A fourth assessment – applied technology – is administered to students in manufacturing. The student’s score determines what certificate level is awarded – bronze, silver, gold, or platinum.

“It’s a profile for the company,” says Sylvia Hinton-Grant, CRC coordinator for Edgecombe Community College. “It gives them an understanding of what type of employee they’re getting.”

Cale says that many companies are making the CRC part of the application prerequisite, and more are using it to award raises and promotions.

“The CRC is often required to get a job; some employers even require it to get an interview. This credential is high stakes,” Cale says.

For the past few years, Edgecombe Community College has been ranked in the Top 5 among North Carolina community colleges in the number of CRCs awarded. Annually, the college administers up to 4,000 CRC assessments to about 1,500 people. The number of assessments is based on the individual phases of the program.

Edgecombe Community College led the process for Edgecombe County to be recognized as one of the first Work Ready Communities in North Carolina in 2013.

“This designation shows we are committed to implementing the CRC,” Cale says. “It also shows that we’re committed to preparing our students for the 21st century workforce.”

Also in 2013, the college received a national award for its efforts to prepare students to be successful in careers and the workplace. The Career Readiness Certificate is central to these efforts.

While the CRC is a requirement for ECC graduates, the assessment also is available to the public, and local employers are utilizing it, Hinton-Grant explains. Area companies including Keihin Carolina System Technology, OIC, Ilco Unican, Manpower, Kelly Services, and the Action Group have partnered with the college to get many of their employees certified.

“The fact that we offer it to anyone is another reason why this is such a great program,” she says.

A package of three tests costs $30, and the certificate is $10. CRC testing dates and times vary on both the Tarboro and Rocky Mount campuses.

To learn more or to sign up for an assessment, please contact Sylvia Hinton-Grant at grants@edgecombe.edu or 823-5166, ext. 166.