WIN Learning Overview & Media Updates

WIN
 Math
 is
 a
 career-­‐based,
 middle
 and
 high
 school
 mathema-cs
 curriculum
 aligned
 to
 Common
 
Core
 State
 Standards
 and
 local
 state
 objec-ves.
 With
 personalized
 instruc-on
 through
 a
 project-­‐based
 
framework,
 students
 apply
 concepts
 -ed
 to
 real-­‐life
 scenarios
 and
 lessons
 in
 the
 context
 of
 relevant
 
career
 opportuni-es.
 Each
 learning
 module
 aligns
 curriculum
 standards
 and
 projects
 to
 16
 different
 
career
 clusters,
 with
 special
 emphasis
 on
 high-­‐demand
 careers.
 This
 bridge
 between
 standards
 and
 real-­‐
world
 projects
 makes
 learning
 math
 concepts
 relevant
 to
 each
 student’s
 life.
 
 

For
 a
 free
 copy
 of
 the
 white
 paper,
 visit
 hTp://-nyurl.com/winmathWP
 

About
 WIN
 Learning
 
WIN
 Learning
 is
 the
 leading
 provider
 of
 career
 readiness
 solu-ons
 to
 help
 districts
 prepare
 pathways
 for
 
students’
 futures,
 whether
 they
 are
 college,
 trade
 school,
 military,
 or
 workplace
 bound.
 To
 date,
 more
 
than
 10
 million
 students
 worldwide
 have
 par-cipated
 in
 the
 specialized
 career–driven
 courseware,
 
educa-on
 interven-on
 ini-a-ves,
 and
 career-­‐readiness
 cer-fica-on
 programs.
 For
 more
 informa-on,
 go
 
to
 www.winlearning.com
 or
 call
 888-­‐717-­‐9461.
 
 
 
 

###
 

 
 


 
 
 


 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 


 
 
 

 

WIN
 is
 Technology
 Partner
 on
 Groundbreaking
 Construction
 Recruitment
 Project
 

"Dirty
 Jobs"
 star
 Mike
 Rowe
 acts
 as
 face
 of
 campaign
 for
 launch
 


 

Kingston,
 TN
 (Aug
 26,
 2010)—
 Approximately
 one
 third
 of
 all
 skilled
 tradesmen
 in
 the
 construction
 
industry
 are
 over
 the
 age
 of
 50.
 With
 their
 retirement
 on
 the
 horizon,
 training
 programs
 are
 not
 
producing
 enough
 young
 workers
 to
 replace
 those
 exiting
 the
 industry.
 To
 combat
 this
 trend,
 
Alabama's
 construction
 industry
 recently
 launched
 an
 education
 and
 recruitment
 campaign
 to
 bring
 
new
 people
 to
 the
 commercial
 and
 industrial
 construction
 industry.
 WIN
 joins
 the
 campaign
 
providing
 a
 customized
 version
 of
 the
 WIN
 Strategic
 Compass™
 to
 provide
 forecasting
 and
 labor
 
market
 tools
 to
 Alabama
 decision
 makers.
 WIN
 also
 provides
 customized
 skill
 assessment,
 career
 
interest
 and
 job-­‐search
 tools
 to
 end-­‐users
 interested
 in
 the
 construction
 industry.
 
 

 
 
The
 campaign
 issues
 a
 rally
 cry
 to
 young
 people
 and
 those
 who
 influence
 them,
 challenging
 them
 to:
 
"Go
 Build."
 Mike
 Rowe,
 star
 of
 the
 popular
 Discovery
 Channel
 series
 "Dirty
 Jobs"
 and
 the
 nation's
 
most
 visible
 supporter
 of
 skilled
 labor,
 will
 be
 the
 face
 of
 "Go
 Build."
 Rowe
 said
 the
 national
 skills
 
gap
 is
 the
 unintended
 consequence
 of
 society's
 focus
 on
 the
 college
 degree
 and
 its
 devaluation
 of
 
skilled
 trade
 jobs
 such
 as
 electricians,
 carpenters
 and
 plumbers.
 
 

 
 

 "There
 are
 opportunities
 in
 Alabama
 right
 now
 that
 most
 people
 don't
 even
 know
 about
 in
 
construction,"
 Rowe
 said.
 "These
 opportunities
 aren't
 the
 alternative
 to
 viable
 careers.
 They
 are
 
viable
 careers.
 I've
 had
 a
 front
 row
 seat
 to
 all
 different
 kinds
 of
 work,
 and
 there's
 nothing
 more
 
important
 than
 skilled
 labor."
 

 
 
"This
 initiative
 is
 the
 result
 of
 an
 unprecedented
 partnership
 of
 industry
 leaders
 and
 forward-­‐
thinking
 corporate
 entities,"
 said
 ACRI
 Executive
 Director
 Tim
 Alford.
 "The
 state's
 economic
 
development
 along
 with
 the
 creation
 of
 infrastructure
 such
 as
 roads
 and
 power
 plants
 are
 
dependent
 upon
 a
 capable
 workforce."
 

 
 
As
 a
 part
 of
 this
 groundbreaking
 initiative,
 WIN
 constructed
 the
 ACRI
 Jobseeker
 Database,
 which
 
provides
 end-­‐users
 with
 individual
 assessments,
 resume-­‐building
 tools
 and
 detailed
 information
 
about
 every
 occupation
 within
 the
 construction
 industry,
 including
 wages,
 forecasted
 demand
 and
 
available
 training
 programs.
 
 Users
 are
 able
 to
 create
 a
 personal
 profile
 that
 stores
 search
 histories,
 
resumes
 and
 personal
 notes.
 
 Administrators
 can
 analyze
 career
 exploration
 data
 to
 compare
 the
 
demands
 of
 high-­‐growth
 industries
 with
 the
 search
 patterns
 of
 jobseekers.
 

 
 
WIN
 also
 developed
 the
 ACRI
 Agency
 Database,
 a
 customized
 version
 of
 the
 WIN
 Strategic
 Compass,
 
serving
 as
 a
 web-­‐based
 analytical
 tool
 that
 aligns
 educational,
 economic
 and
 workforce
 data
 with
 
regional
 trends
 to
 inform
 strategic
 decisions
 related
 to
 education
 and
 workforce
 development.
 

 
 

 
 


 
 
 

"When
 the
 Alabama
 Workforce
 Development
 Institute
 Board
 of
 Directors
 selected
 WIN
 as
 a
 vendor
 
to
 help
 develop
 the
 Alabama
 Construction
 Recruitment
 Initiative's
 website/forecasting
 
tool/jobseeker
 database,
 I
 was
 extremely
 pleased,"
 Alford
 said.
 "I
 had
 previously
 worked
 with
 WIN
 
to
 implement
 a
 Career
 Readiness
 Certificate
 program
 in
 Alabama,
 and
 I
 have
 always
 found
 them
 to
 
be
 not
 just
 a
 vendor,
 but
 a
 working
 partner
 in
 ensuring
 a
 successful
 implementation.
 
 WIN
 personnel
 
are
 consummate
 professionals,
 and
 are
 always
 competent,
 caring
 and
 committed
 to
 achieving
 
project
 goals.
 
 I
 look
 forward
 to
 working
 with
 them
 to
 recruit
 a
 new
 generation
 of
 skilled
 craftsmen
 
for
 the
 Alabama
 commercial
 and
 industrial
 construction
 industry."
 

 
 
The
 Go
 Build
 campaign
 includes
 statewide
 print,
 online
 and
 television
 advertisements
 driving
 to
 the
 
www.GoBuildAlabama.com
 website,
 where
 people
 can
 learn
 more
 about
 skilled
 trade
 careers,
 find
 
information
 about
 training
 programs
 and
 much
 more.
 

 
About
 WIN
 Learning
 
For
 nearly
 20
 years,
 WIN
 Learning
 has
 become
 the
 leading
 provider
 of
 career
 readiness
 solutions
 to
 
help
 districts
 prepare
 pathways
 for
 students’
 futures,
 whether
 they
 are
 college,
 trade
 school,
 
military,
 or
 workplace
 bound.
 For
 more
 information,
 go
 to
 www.winlearning.com
 or
 call
 888-­‐717-­‐
9461.
 
 
 
 

 

#
 
 #
 
 #
 
Contacts
 for
 the
 Media
 Contacts:
 

 
Teresa
 Chasteen
 
WIN
 Learning
 
865.717.2207
 
[email protected]
 

 
John
 Costilla,
 VP
 Marketing
 
WIN
 Learning
 
940.32.3867
 
[email protected]
 

 

 

 

OVERVIEW

Aligned with Florida’s education and re-employment reform initiatives, Florida Ready to Work is a
state-sponsored workforce development program created by the Florida Legislature to develop the
talent pipeline required to grow Florida’s economy and put Florida’s unemployed back to work.

Career readiness skill building is the foundation of the program. Florida Ready to Work provides
free, online career readiness skills training in the core communication, problem-solving and
reasoning skills required across most jobs today from entry level to professional. The courseware
benchmarks initial skill level, identifies potential skill gaps and provides targeted instruction. The
courseware can be used from any computer, anywhere, anytime – providing a scalable solution
that maximizes jobseeker access and produces more time and cost efficient results as compared
to traditional classroom settings.

Florida Ready to Work is being implemented statewide in partnership with regional workforce
boards, technical centers, high schools, adult education programs, community colleges,
corrections, juvenile justice programs and community-based organizations. And employers
statewide are using the program to identify qualified new hires, reduce hiring/training costs and
build the skills of their incumbent workforce. Results include double-digit reductions in employer
hiring, training and turnover costs – catalysts for employer investment in job creation.

In August 2011, the Florida Legislature expanded Florida Ready to Work, requiring all new
unemployment compensation applicants to complete an online “Initial Skills Review” to receive
benefits.

“... an online education or training program ...
designed to measure an individual's mastery level of workplace skills ...”

Section 443.091, Florida Statutes

The Initial Skills Review is an easy-to-use tool that benchmarks core career readiness skills. The
results are being used by the regional workforce board system to screen Florida’s unemployed for
potential employment and/or occupational training. The program is also yielding new quantitative
data to support future education and workforce policy and funding decisions.

The Initial Skills Review is offered in English, Spanish and Creole. Exemptions are provided for
jobseekers who “... affirmatively attest to being unable to complete such review due to illiteracy,
disability or a language impediment.”

1

The Initial Skills Review has three parts:
• Workplace Math: Use of workplace math – four basic functions of math – to communicate
information and problem solve ie: calculate percentage discounts and mark-ups.
• Workplace Reading: Use of workplace reading ie: manuals, memos, policies, directions,
etc. to communicate information and problem solve.
• Workplace Information: Use of workplace charts, graphs, instrument gauges, etc. to
communicate information and problem solve.

There are up to 15 potential questions for each skill. On average, each skill takes up to 15 minutes
to complete. There is no time limit. Due to federal Department of Labor regulations, no minimum
score is required. Jobseekers must only “complete” the Initial Skills Review to receive benefits.
Jobseekers are provided the results in real time and are automatically placed in the Florida Ready
to Work courseware at the skill levels indicated by their Initial Skills Review.
In the first 12 months, 656,000+ unemployed jobseekers statewide have completed the Initial Skills
Review with nearly 30 percent voluntarily using the online courseware to further build their skills
while looking for work.
Since inception of Florida Ready to Work, more than 673,200 courseware hours have been used
with the lowest skilled making the most significant gains and those completing the program
outperforming non-completers in both job placement and earnings by as much as 30 percent.
Florida Ready to Work and the Florida Initial Skills Review are powered by WIN Learning – a
national career readiness provider.

2



































































Businesses and Educators Working Together to Ensure
Career and College Readiness

Regional Career Readiness Planning Project, Erie and Crawford Counties, PA

Implementation Overview About Regional Career Readiness
In 2013, a consortium of Pennsylvanian trade associations, Planning Project
community organizations, and school districts in Erie and
Crawford counties came together to launch a new Participating Districts: 16
career-driven educational model, the Regional Career • High Schools Involved: 24
Readiness Planning Project. The model is designed to help • Students Using WIN in Year One: 18,245
students graduate with an understanding of the regional • Average Graduation Rate: 88.2%
job market, long-term career plans, and the knowledge and
skills required to appeal to regional employers, many of Erie County Demographics:
whom had been speaking out about a lack of qualified job • Caucasian: 88.8%
candidates. • African-American: 7.5%
• Other: 3.7%
In one instance, the region's manufacturing sector was • Percentage of People Aged 25+ with
struggling to find competent applicants, despite its being Postsecondary degrees: 24.8%
one of the biggest employers and highest-paying industries • Unemployment Rate (Jan 2015): 6.2%
in the region. "We'd been hearing from manufacturers for • Persons Below Poverty Level: 16.9%
many years, but it reached a new urgency because many
of their workers are now retiring," said Richard Scaletta, Crawford County Demographics:
superintendent of General McLane School District, the lead • Caucasian: 96.2%
district in the Planning Project consortium. • African-American: 1.9%
• Other: 1.9%
Yet, according to Bill Hetrick, senior teacher at Saegertown • Percentage of People Aged 25+ with
High School in Penncrest School District, "Last year, 40 Postsecondary degrees: 18.7%
kids out of 100 walked off the stage without a job or • Unemployment Rate (Jan 2015): 5.7%
prospects. Clearly there’s a disconnect when you have • Persons Below Poverty Level: 15.9%
local industries ready to hire, but the graduating students
haven’t the skills for those jobs," he said. Delivery and Use:
A blended learning model integrated into
The Planning Project's potential for connecting education classroom instruction (WIN Career & College
and economy appealed to the Erie Community Foundation, Exploration/Readiness, WIN Soft Skills Series)
which provided a three-year "Shaping Tomorrow" grant to
fund the initiative. "We're very interested in high school Mission:
graduation attainment and resolving the skills mismatch," The Regional Career Planning Project seeks to
said Vice President of Community Impact George Espy. expand educational opportunities and ensure
"The Regional Career Readiness Planning Project will education is relevant for students in the greater Erie
create a pipeline of students who understand what skills region. The cornerstone of our efforts centers on
are needed and who can fill jobs in the region that are bridging the gap between education and the
unfilled right now." regional workforce by aligning and utilizing data
such as customized labor market analysis, industry
In its role as the lead district in the consortium, General growth projections, wages, demands, and skills
McLane School District sought out a partner that could gaps; and provide students with a college and
provide the tools needed to support the new career-driven career readiness curriculum through the WIN
educational model and its curriculum. Scaletta had seen Learning solution.
the WIN Personalized Career Readiness System at a Model
Schools Conference, so the district included WIN Learning, readiness redefined
the system's creator, in their review of potential partners. In
the end, the WIN system was chosen to be a consortium
partner because its design included a data-driven path that
both educators and the business community could
understand as they worked to address the skills gap.

© 2015 WIN Learning, Inc. All rights reserved. facebook/winlearning twitter / @edwinworldwide

Laying the Groundwork
A lack of a common language was one of the major causes of the disconnect between the educational and business
communities regarding what foundational skills students needed in order to be prepared for the workplace. Therefore, Planning
Project stakeholders' first step was to establish a common language so that local business people could effectively explain to
educators what was required of workforce entrants. In turn, educators would apply that new understanding to the
career-infused curriculum.

Planning Project participants used WorkKeys occupational
profiles from ACT, the creator of the national college admissions
examination, as well as occupational information from the national
O*NET program to establish a foundational common language.
Additionally, the Planning Project needed to make use of public
local labor market information (LMI) provided by The United
States Bureau of Labor and Statistics and The Pennsylvania
Department of Labor and Industry in order to provide students
with locally relevant career guidance services. The public LMI was
then further validated and contextualized by one of the
consortium partners in the Northwest Pennsylvania Chapter of
the National Tool and Machining Association. "Our early input was
brainstorming current resources in the area," said Tami Adams,
the chapter's executive director. "We explained where to search
for job openings, and what WIN needed to get off on the right
foot." The Edinboro University of Pennsylvania also collaborated
with WIN Learning on the job data and donated use of its facility
to accommodate training of the schools' faculty.

Another resource was Erie Together, a coalition of local
individuals, organizations, and businesses working to boost the
Erie region's economic prosperity. The Planning Project
incorporated information from Erie Together's career exploration
and planning program, Career Street, which serves as a
one-shop stop for internships, job shadows, career speakers,
and more. "Erie Together is a huge community effort that was
already active in getting silos working together," said Scaletta.
"Public schools had only to reach out and plug into that
infrastructure."

Putting the Project Into Practice 7KLV &HUWLILFDWH ,QGLFDWHV
The Regional Career Readiness Planning Project's career-driven
education model places an emphasis on developing core employability 'DYLG (OHSKDQ
skills as identified by profiles of the most in-demand occupations. The
resulting curriculum aligns to ACT’s National Career Readiness KDV FRPSOHWHG
Certificate assessment, which is part of the National Association of
Manufacturing’s (NAM) certification system. &DUHHU 5HDGLQHVV &RXUVHZDUH

The WIN courseware incorporates current regional labor market data $0 /HYHO a /, /HYHO a 5, /HYHO
supplied by public and private business sources so that students
benefit from locally relevant information and individually prescribed facebook/winlearning twitter / @edwinworldwide
career-infused instruction. Assessment of students’ skill levels is
determined by ACT WorkKey’s occupational profiles and is designated
as Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels. A Silver or higher skill level
is required to satisfy approximately 77 percent of employers' demands
in three key employability skill areas:

• Applied Mathematics
• Reading for Information
2 • Locating Information

Connecting Education to the Economy to Create Career and
College Ready Students

Students who achieve a Gold readiness level are considered Hetrick's students also explored the system's myStrategic
to have a career readiness level comparable to a college Compass personalized career planning tool, which the
readiness level based on ACT research. Therefore, the Planning Project had populated with regional job
Regional Career Readiness Planning Project is launching a information. "The kids really liked the career inventory and
region wide "Go for the Gold" certificate campaign in order to career options," he said.
optimize learners' post-high school graduation options.
On the other hand, Spinelli used the system as a
Curriculum implementation began in August 2014 as a pilot supplement for her business and career class curriculum.
primarily focused on a select group of teachers in the "We did the Career Readiness Courseware for 10 minutes
districts' high schools. "We're in year one of a three-year in the morning and during downtime," she said. "Students
grant. We're experimenting and learning about the software," were working on their career readiness certificate, and
explained Scaletta. trying to achieve the highest level they could." She
encouraged students continue working on the courseware
Hetrick headed up the WIN Career Readiness System pilot at at home. She stated, "I say to them, 'Maybe you need to
Saegertown High School, which is in Crawford County. He take it home and peruse through the program.'"
used the program extensively in conjunction with the
school's 1:1 iPad program during the fall semester and In addition to honing their skills with the CRC+ program,
spring semesters. Spinelli's class used the system as part of a Pennsylvania
state-mandated graduation project that requires students
Another example of a high school class piloting the system is to create presentations about the college and/or career
Antonella Spinelli's business and career class for juniors in they want to pursue. While students continued using
the Girard School District, part of Erie County. That class traditional methods of career research such as job
accessed the system via desktops and a 1:1 Chromebook shadowing, community service hours, and college visits,
program. they also used myStrategic Compass to more easily see
which occupation options aligned with their particular
The differences in the two class' overall format and subjects interests, skills, values, and goals as well as to determine
also influenced their use of the system. On one hand, Hetrick the salary ranges, education and skill levels associated with
used the courseware and its modules to modify his senior selected career paths.
English curriculum and hone his students' real-world writing
skills. College-bound students in his class worked on the Hetrick also made his students' mandated graduation
system's College Readiness Courseware (CRC+) literature project part of his senior English course. In fact, he
module and reading modules while students planning to go restructured the course to correspond with the project.
straight to the workplace after high school focused on the "Our district has turned student graduation projects into a
business writing modules in the Career Readiness Course- career plan involving financial literacy and career
ware (CRC). The system also included math topics like exploration that entails two to four hours of job shadowing
Applied Mathematics in CRC and pre-algebra, algebra and and 10-hours of community service," he explained. "After
geometry in CRC+; some students tackled those math one semester, we have a Senior Showcase night where the
topics on their own. students present their plan." His students now use all of
the WIN system components — CRC, CRC+, and
myStrategic Compass — to help them decide on and
create their career plan.

Educonomy is the intersection
between education and the economy
where supply, demand and career
pathways are the new drivers.

facebook/winlearning twitter / @edwinworldwide
3

Incorporating Soft Skills
The Planning Project used the O*NET Skills Database to study in-demand
skills for healthcare and manufacturing occupations that did not require
post-secondary instruction. The study revealed that soft skills such as active
listening and critical thinking were vital in satisfying the performance
requirements for those occupations. Therefore, incorporating soft skills into
the school curriculum became a major objective of the Planning Project and
the WIN Soft Skills Series became another reason that the General McLane
School District chose the Personalized Career Readiness System.

While both Hetrick and Spinelli had their students work on the system's soft
skills component during the fall semester, General McLane School District
had their students begin even earlier, piloting the series during the spring of
2014. "Since we knew we were getting the grant, they let us pilot the soft
skills before WIN was officially implemented," said Scaletta. "It went great.
The kids asked to do more."

First-Year Results Bringing in Businesses
An essential step in making the Regional Career Readiness
At the end of the 2014-15 school year, the Erie Planning Project a success is making the general business
Community Foundation received the Planning community aware of the project and having employers ask for
Project's report on its first year of the certificates designating graduates' career readiness levels.
implementation. "So far, we're very pleased with Scaletta is coordinating the effort to let businesses know about
what's been done," said Espy. "They estimated the new initiative and how it will benefit them. "I'm telling
they would be able to work with at least 16,000 businesses that they can now ask graduates for their WIN
students but they got 18,245 students, which is certificate in entry-level jobs," he said. "Our goal is to get
extraordinary. Their first year was spent as employers to ask for Gold or Silver certificates."
planned — explaining the project, getting
trained, and figuring out how best to implement Scaletta has made presentations about the Planning Project to
this. We're right on track to getting all districts elected and civic officials in Erie and Crawford counties,
enrolled." chambers of commerce, and various employers, among others.
"I go out to businesses and show them how MyStrategic
Espy also reports that use of some of the WIN Compass will tell them what students' skills are and how it will
tools has spread to other job-related programs help them determine if a student is right for the job," he said.
such as Pennsylvania CareerLink, an online
resource for posting and finding jobs, and area Scaletta is also asking employers to visit the schools to recruit
universities with job enhancement programs for new employees. He said, "I want them to come into schools
high school students. and say, 'We have three jobs for silver certifications.' And the
students who get those jobs will then spread word among
Regional Career Readiness other students."
Planning Project
Adams agrees with Scaletta's direction. "My view is for this to
facebook/winlearning be successful, employers have to ask for certification," she
said. "They need to understand what they can expect students
twitter / @edwinworldwide to know when they have silver or gold certificates." While
Scaletta is planning to deputize other superintendents to help
with his outreach, Adams has been promoting the Regional
Career Readiness Planning Project from the business side.

She made presentations to tooling and machinery companies in
Erie, Crawford and Warren counties and had Scaletta attend
chapter meeting to update members about the Planning Project
in early 2015. "Membership reaction has been very positive, but
there's always speculation about whether it will really happen,"
she said. She expects that skepticism to vanish as the first
couple of districts produce students with the certification.

4

Future Plans
The Regional Career Readiness Planning Project's long-term plan is to expand its career-infused instruction, complete with career
exploration, guidance and counseling, to the districts' middle schools. For example, in the coming year Hetrick will be training
teachers of grades eight through 11 so that they can begin working with the system's job inventory and moving their students
through the beginning levels of the courseware.

The high school in General McLane School District has identified a ninth grade class called Study Skills as the next class in which
the courseware will be implemented, and its 12th grade will work on soft skills.

Other next steps include the following:
• Looking into systemic video integration into the curriculum with an initial focus on and partnership with the manufacturing
community to increase awareness about career opportunities
• Exploring broad based soft skill development through Common Core curriculum integration
• Considering enhanced promotion of career and technical education opportunities

"There was a time when businesses would say, 'We have a problem. Schools, you fix it.' Now they're very willing to partner with
us to help resolve the problem," said Scaletta. "WIN is the backbone, so to speak, of this process, and every community can put
in the muscle to move this effort forward."

The WIN Learning Solution About WIN Learning
Since 1996, WIN has become the leading provider of career
WIN Strategic Compass is a web-based readiness solutions to help prepare pathways for learners,
data-rich career exploration system that creates whether college, trade school, military or workplace bound.
a clear picture of the realities of the workplace. To date, more than 10 million learners worldwide have
By effectively creating a continuum between participated in the specialized WIN career–driven course-
education and the workplace through real-time ware, education intervention initiatives and career-readiness
labor market information, WIN Strategic certification programs.
Compass has become one of the most exciting
tools available today for educational reform There is life after high school, and no one prepares students
nationwide. to be career and college ready better than WIN.

college The College Readiness Courseware (CRC+) is
divided into five modules — Pre-Algebra,
Algebra, Geometry, Reading, and Writing and Let’s WIN Together.
English. It aligns with the ACT Compass exam Contact Us!
and prepares learners to enter college with the
necessary foundational skills that will make 888.717.9461 (Toll Free)
remedial classes less likely. [email protected]

Online Career Readiness Courseware 1000 Waterford Place
revolutionizes how we think about career- Kingston, TN 37763
driven educational interventions. Aligned to state winlearning.com
standards and national proficiency tests, a
student can effectively prepare work ready and Learn more at winlearning.com
career exams, while increasing their foundational
skills and earning a Career Readiness facebook/winlearning
Certificate. The WIN Career-Driven intervention
curriculum is a breakthrough strategy for twitter / @edwinworldwide
engaging students and improving academic
achievement.

Behavioral and attitudinal values (the employer’s readiness redefined
perspective on work values) are provided in the
WIN Soft Skills Series. This curriculum, paired
with Career Readiness Courseware, looks at the
skills specifically needed and valued by
businesses.

5

PROJECT ABSTRACT
The Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (KVEC) requests a Development grant to provide
innovative services addressing enhanced STEM education (AP 2) for their rural students (AP 5).
These services will increase college access and success (CPP 7) for all students, including those
with disabilities and limited English proficiency (CPP 8).

Activities: The project creates a five-year career and college readiness initiative beginning in 8th
grade, transformative through its integration into middle- and high-school curricula. Activities are:
(1) career exploration and individual career pathways for every student; (2) foundational skills
training for career and college readiness; (3) soft-skills training for all high-school seniors; (4)
monthly e-Mentoring Webinars linking students with real-world work; and (5) an annual Career
Awareness Week at each school to bring together students, families, businesses, colleges, and
communities. Objectives: With stronger links between education and work early on, there will be
improved student achievement and increased graduation rates, and increased access to and
success in college. Outcomes: KY’s rural students will have (1) greater awareness of future careers
and their relationship to classroom learning; (2) stronger foundational skills, eliminating the
widespread need for remediation. (3) greater ability to move directly to college or career after high
school. Special Features: The project’s “strategic compass” makes career and college readiness a
joint venture with schools, districts, businesses, and the community—the only way to demonstrate
true reformation in education. Target Served: The project serves 33 LEAs, 112 schools, and
42,470 8th to 12th grade students. Partners: Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative is lead
applicant. The other official partner is Green River Regional Educational Cooperative. WIN, Inc. will
provide the 15% match. RAND Corporation is the independent evaluator.

PROJECT OVERVIEW
RURAL WORKFORCE

NETWORK CONSORTIUM

RURAL WORKFORCE NETWORK CONSORTIUM

BACKGROUND

The Rural Workforce Network Consortium is a
partnership of 5 Workforce Investment Boards in the
rural region of southwest Texas. The project area
included 75 counties and a population of just under
2,000,000. Having identified the Biotechnology/Life
Sciences-Medical industry cluster as a competitive
advantage, and wanting to leverage that advantage
for regional economic growth, the Texas Workforce
Commission charged the RWNC with developing a
plan that would encourage the growth of that industry
in the project area as a component of the larger
objective of sustainable economic development. The
plan was to include analysis of the regional economy, identification of critical labor challenges, and
recommendations for the enhancement and maintenance of the emerging workforce.

To meet the challenges of this imperative, the RWNC contracted Worldwide Interactive Network to
provide a Strategic Compass license, as well as four professional service deliverables, all of which
were produced using the WIN Strategic Compass®:

1. EMPLOYER SURVEY
2. CAREER PATHWAYS REPORT
3. ECONOMIC STUDY
4. CURRICULA ASSESSMENT

REPORT

The Employer Survey

WIN surveyed employers across the project area and received a response that represented over
75% of all labor in the target industry. The employers quantified their hiring plans over one, two
and three-year horizons. They also identified the education levels and relevant skillsets that
presented the greatest challenges in staffing.

From this survey, 55 occupations were identified that comprised the majority of the labor inventory
in the target industry cluster. The Top 25 occupations from this list formed the basis for the
remaining research.

The Career Pathways Analysis

8 Industries and 16 Career Pathways that contained the
target occupations were identified, and then a
comprehensive analysis of the occupations, sub
industries and pathways was delivered online. Each
occupation was crosswalked to the pathways and
industries that contained it, and was profiled with average
wages, projections, educational requirements, K-12
programs of study, industry certifications, OJT
opportunities, postsecondary educational programs, and

other datapoints.

The study is available to the public at http://txcareerpathways.com

The Economic Study

The Economic Study profiled regional economic realities,
including wages, projections, and employment rates
within the target industry/target region compared to other
industries/regions; labor inventories; skills shed analyses;
and other research.

The Curricula Assessment Report

The talent pipeline for the target industry cluster was
analyzed and any oversupply or undersupply in the
emerging workforce was identified.
The alignment of the emerging labor supply with
occupation-driven demand resulted in clear
recommendations for modifying the existing curricula mix
of the region’s community college system to optimize the
projected occupation-driven demand for the region. The
resulting report identified looming shortages in several
occupations that are critical to the target industry.

The deliverables from WIN formed the foundation for the RWNC’s Sustainability and Financial Plans
Report, which was delivered to the Texas Workforce Commission in March, 2011. The report built
on WIN’s research to make recommendations for workforce development, economic recruitment
efforts, and funding streams.

For more information on this project, contact:
Trevor Stokes

[email protected]
865-235-9986

Effectiveness Of Win Career Readiness Courseware –
The Syracuse University Study

In
  a
  recently
  released
  report1,
  Dr.
  Tom
  Hadlick
  of
  Syracuse
 
University
  confirmed
  that
  using
  WIN’s
  Career
  Readiness
 
Courseware
  helped
  jobseekers
  prepare
  for
  and
  pass
  both
  the
 
National
  Career
  Readiness
  and
  National
  Work
  Readiness
  Certificate
 
exams.
 
  The
  study
  examined
  the
  preparation
  for
  these
  Certificates
  and
 
the
  actual
  test-­‐results
  in
  the
  Industrial
  Certification
  and
  Training
  (ICT)
 
programs
  at
  five
  Workforce
  Investment
  Board
  career
  centers
  in
  Western
 
New
 York.
 

 

 

 

Overview of WIN Career Readiness Courseware

WIN’s
  Career
  Readiness
  Courseware®
  provides
  foundational
  training
  based
  on
  assessed
 
skill
  needs
  and
  achievements
  for
  specific
  career
  interests
  and/or
  opportunities.
  The
  applied
 
academics
  courseware
  consists
  of
  nine
  modules:
  Applied
  Mathematics,
  Reading
  for
  Information,
 
Locating
  Information,
  Applied
  Technology,
  Observation,
  Teamwork,
  Writing,
  Listening
  and
  Work
 
Habits.What
 makes
 WIN’s
 courseware
 unique
 and
 of
 great
 value
 to
 jobseekers
 nationwide,
 is
 that
 
the
  instruction
  builds
  and
  certifies
  workplace
  skills,
  leading
  to
  more
  than
  26
  National
  Career
  and
 
Work
 Readiness
 Certifications,
 two
 of
 which
 were
 the
 focus
 of
 the
 Syracuse
 study.
 

 
 
 

Skill
  levels
  in
  WIN
  Career
  Readiness
  Courseware
  build
  sequentially,
  with
  each
  level
 
incorporating
  the
  skills
  mastered
  at
  the
  previous
  levels.
  This
  skill
  metric
  allows
  WIN
  users
  to
 
achieve
  mastery,
  not
  just
  test
  preparation,
  by
  reverse
  engineering
  the
  courseware
  based
  on
 
specific
 learning
 objectives.
 
 

 

The
  WIN
  Courseware
  quickly
  became
  viewed
  as
  an
  important
  enhancement
  to
  the
  ICT
 
program
  through
  its
  Web-­‐based,
  self
  paced,
  independent
  learning
  format
  which
  give
  program
 
participants
 a
 tool
 for
 making
 skill
 gains
 in
 a
 timely
 and
 cost-­‐effective
 manner.
 
 Each
 participant’s
 
current
  skill
  levels
  were
  benchmarked
  to
  create
  a
  customized
  instructional
  program
  tailored
  to
 
their
  educational
  needs.
  Through
  built-­‐in
  learning
  management
  systems,
  the
  courseware
 
facilitated
 monitoring
 of
 each
 participant’s
 progress.
 Pre-­‐tests
 built
 into
 the
 WIN
 Courseware
 were
 
used
  to
  help
  participants
  gain
  a
  clearer
  understanding
  of
  their
  current
  level
  of
  work
  ready
  skills
 
and
 establish
 realistic
 career
 goals.
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

1
 Hadlick,
 Tom.
 (February
 2011).
 Using
 the
 WIN
 courseware
 to
 prepare
 for
 the
 National
 Work
 Readiness
 Credential.
 
The
 Industrial
 Certification
 and
 Training
 Program:
 Syracuse
 University.
 


  Page
 1
 
 

 
 

 PRIMARY WIN MEASURES


 
Partipants
 in
 the
 five
 Western
 New
 York
 Career
 Centers
 studied
 by
 Dr.
 Hadlick
 used
 three
 

of
  the
  WIN
  Career
  Readiness
  courseware
  modules—Applied
  Mathematics,
  Reading
  for
 
Information
 and
 Locating
 Information—far
 more
 extensively
 than
 the
 other
 modules.
 These
 three
 
most
  frequently
  used
  modules
  map
  directly
  to
  the
  National
  Career
  Readiness
  Certification
  exam
 
and
 partially
 to
 the
 National
 Work
 Readiness
 exam.
 
 
 


 
Using
 these
 three
 skill
 areas
 from
 the
 WIN
 Career
 Readiness
 courseware
 as
 the
 focus
 of
 the
 
study,
  the
  Syracuse
  researchers
  were
  able
  to
  put
  foundational
  skills
  training
  into
  a
  job-­‐seeking
 
context.
 
  As
  such,
  the
  Syracuse
  researchers
  set
  out
  the
  comparisons
  of
  skill
  levels
  in
  the
  WIN
 
courseware
 and
 the
 percentage
 of
 jobs
 requiring
 a
 specific
 skill
 level,
 as
 well
 as
 the
 percentage
 of
 
national
 test
 takers
 who
 scored
 at
 that
 skill
 level
 in
 the
 previous
 two
 years.
 
 
 
 

 
Figure
 1.
 Applied
 Mathematics
 Skill
 Level
 Comparisons
 


 
As
  Figures
  1
  through
  3
  show,
  the
 
Syracuse
  researchers
  quoted
  data
  from
 
more
  than
  540,000
  Career
  Readiness
 
courseware
  test
  records
  nationally
  with
 
4,600
  job
  profiles
  taken
  over
  the
  past
 
five
 years.
 On
 the
 charts,
 numbers
 in
 the
 
center
 column
 represent
 the
 WIN
 Career
 
Readiness
 skill
 levels;
 the
 bars
 to
 the
 left
 
represent
  the
  percent
  of
  profiled
  jobs
 
requiring
  that
  specific
  skill
  level;
  and
  the
 
bars
 to
 the
 right
 represent
 the
 percent
 of
 
testers
 who
 scored
 at
 that
 skill
 level.
 
 
 


 
Figure
 2.
 Reading
 for
 Information
 Skill
 Level
 Comparison
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


  Page
 2
 
 

 
 

 
Figure
 3:
 
 Locating
 Information
 Skill
 Levels
 Comparison
 


 

 

Effectiveness of WIN Courseware

COURSEWARE USAGE AND SKILL GAINS
 
Thie
  Syracuse
  study
  measured
  the
  impact
  of
  WIN
  courseware
  from
  May
  2010
  through
 
December
  2010.
  Researchers
 
  looked
  at
  whether
  the
  ICT
  participants
  chose
  to
  use
  the
  WIN
 
Courseware,
 whether
 their
 math,
 reading
 and
 locating
 information
 skills
 improved
 
 within
 the
 WIN
 
instructional
  modules,
  and
  whether
  the
  courseware
  helped
  participants
  succeed
  in
  the
 
credentialing
 process.
 

 

 

  For
 the
 eight
 months
 of
 the
 study,
 the
 average
 time
 
spent
 on
 the
 WIN
 Career
 Readiness
 courseware
 (among
 

  170
 active
 participants)
 was
 6.5
 hours.
 

 

 
The
  study
  gathered
  compelling
  evidence
  showing
  that
  use
  of
  WIN
  Career
  Readiness
 
courseware,
  even
  for
  a
  relatively
  short
  period
  of
  time,
  enhanced
  an
  individual’s
  succesful
 
completion
  of
  the
  ICT
  program
  and
  successful
  performance
  on
  national
  and
  state
  certification
 
exams.
 
 
 

 

 

  Participants
 who
 spent
 more
 than
 two
 hours
 in
 the
 WIN
 Courseware
 

  performed
 much
 better
 in
 the
 assessment
 phase
 of
 the
 program.
 
 For
 

example,
 the
 average
 math
 score
 on
 the
 Certification
 Exams
 for
 

  participants
 who
 spent
 less
 than
 two
 hours
 in
 the
 courseware
 was
 67;
 
 

  the
 average
 score
 for
 those
 who
 spent
 from
 two
 to
 six
 hours
 in
 the
 

  courseware
 was
 84—a
 17
 point
 differential.
 

 


  Page
 3