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Skills Advantage Research Report 
Skills Advantage
Skills Advantage is Kirkwood Community College’s response to an identified need for a more skilled workforce that, in turn, contributes to the dynamics and growth of The Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Technology Corridor.
The Skills Advantage Program has been designed to develop and communicate the skills needed for employment within the Technology Corridor through a series of assessments. Sucessful completion of these assessments allows individuals to attain Iowa's National Career Readiness Certificate.
The Iowa National Career Readiness Certificate
The Iowa National Career Readiness Certificate (INCRC), a statewide workforce initiative administered regionally through Iowa Workforce Development, Kirkwood Community College and ACT, provides proof of job skills for local employers. Based on an individual’s performance in one of three assessments, the Certificate is issued by ACT at one of four levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum.
The Certificate measures skills critical to on-the-job success using three ACT WorkKeys® assessments: Applied Mathematics, Reading for Information, and Locating Information. WorkKeys has helped employers realize decreased turnover and training time for nearly 20 years.
The Certificate serves as a valuable tool in making employment and training decisions. It easily identifies the skill level of an applicant, and over 140 employers in the region are using the INCRC as part of their hiring process.
More about the program. Who's using the program?
