Every Student. Career Ready.
ACT庐 WorkKeys庐 is the career readiness assessment and certification program trusted by K-12 educators and thousands of employers nationwide.
What Is WorkKeys Career Readiness Assessment and Skills Certification?
WorkKeys, designed for K-12 educators and the workforce, measures students鈥 workplace skills and qualifies learners for the ACT庐 WorkKeys庐 National Career Readiness Certificate鈩 (NCRC庐), a portable credential recognized by employers across the country.
Nearly 40% of high school students enter the workforce directly after graduation. WorkKeys gives K-12 educators a practical way to close that gap: industry-validated, skills-based assessments that measure real-world abilities and qualify learners to earn a WorkKeys NCRC.
How K-12 Educators Use WorkKeys to Build Career Readiness
Three assessments. One credential. A clear path from classroom to career.
Helping Students Prove They're Workforce Ready
Educators use WorkKeys to predict whether students are truly career ready before they enter the workforce, giving students a clear measure of the workplace foundational skills employers require.
Supporting Career Navigation with WorkKeys
Educators use WorkKeys outcomes not just to identify skill gaps but to guide career navigation conversations and measure the efficacy of their career readiness programs.
Connecting classroom Skills to Community Opportunity
Educators use WorkKeys to support ACT庐 Work Ready Communities, keeping local employers invested in student success.
How Does the WorkKeys Assessments and WorkKeys NCRC Process Work?
Build.
WorkKeys begins with building real-world skills 鈥 the ones employers actually need. Rather than abstract academic content, learners develop foundational workplace skills they'll use on the job.
Measure.
Those skills are measured through trusted, validated assessments. This gives educators and learners a clear, objective picture of where skills stand today.
Certify.
When learners demonstrate those skills, they earn the WorkKeys NCRC 鈥 a credential that proves they're ready. It's a portable, employer-recognized signal of workplace readiness.
Connect.
WorkKeys connects the entire workforce pipeline. Educators prepare students with confidence, workforce leaders track progress and outcomes, employers hire based on real evidence instead of guesswork, and communities build stronger, more competitive economies.
BENEFITS FOR K-12 EDUCATORS
Why Schools Choose WorkKeys for Career Readiness Education
WorkKeys gives educators a measurable, credible way to connect classroom learning to career outcomes and demonstrates that your graduates are ready for what's next.
Strengthen career readiness programs.
Identify where students are and what they need using skills-based assessments that are aligned to real jobs.
Give students a credential employers trust.
The WorkKeys NCRC is trusted by thousands of employers and backed by data from more than 22,000 occupations.
Bridge the classroom-to-career gap.
Every WorkKeys assessment is built from actual job task analysis, so students see how their skills apply in the real world.
Open doors to postsecondary credit.
Students who earn a Silver-level WorkKeys NCRC or above may be eligible for up to nine semester hours of college credit per American Council on Education guidelines.
Build your regional workforce pipeline.
Schools using WorkKeys help create pipelines of qualified, credentialed job seekers, connecting education to regional employer needs and strengthening local economies.
鈥淭he WorkKeys NCRC gives our students a credential that carries weight. It鈥檚 not just a test 鈥 it鈥檚 proof of employability that the state recognizes.鈥
- Julie Landy, Ed.D., Director of Assessment, Professional Growth, and Community Services Initiatives, Center for Instruction, Technology, and Innovation BOCES
YOUR NEXT STEPS
Ready to Bring WorkKeys to Your Program?
A simple, repeatable path from first conversation to credentialed students.
Talk to an ACT Rep
Get a walkthrough of WorkKeys and find the right fit for your school or district.
Get Some Inspiration
Learn how schools are using WorkKeys to unlock student potential and prepare them for success beyond graduation.
Get Involved
Learn how to be part of a Work Ready Community.
Resources for K-12 Educators
Practical tools and research to help you build and strengthen your career readiness program.
FEATURED
Launching Futures: Career Readiness Checklist for K-12 Educators
A free, practical guide to help you integrate real-world skills and career exploration into your classroom.
WEBINAR
Connect Classrooms to Careers with the "8 Degrees of E"
See how Iredell County, North Carolina, improved student outcomes through career-focused learning and the 鈥8 Degrees of E鈥 framework.
RESEARCH
From Learning to Earning: Turning Classroom Skills into Career Success
ACT research involving nearly 359,000 high school students found a strong link between college and career readiness. While only 21% met three or more ACT College Readiness Benchmarks, about 65% earned a Silver or higher on the WorkKeys NCRC.
Prepare Your Students for What鈥檚 Next
Find out how WorkKeys and the WorkKeys NCRC can help your school measure and strengthen career readiness, recognize student achievement, and connect classroom learning to real-world careers for every learner, every path.