2.2-2674.01 - Virginia Career Readiness Certificate Program.
§ 2.2-2674.01. Virginia Career Readiness Certificate Program.
A. There is created the Virginia Career Readiness Certificate Program (theProgram) to certify the workplace and college readiness skills of Virginians,in order to better prepare them for continued education and workforcetraining, successful employment, and career advancement.
B. The Program may be offered through public high schools, communitycolleges, one-stop centers, technical centers, vocation rehabilitationcenters, the Department of Correctional Education, institutions of highereducation, and any other appropriate institutions as determined by theVirginia Workforce Council.
C. The Program shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
1. A nationally recognized multilevel Career Readiness Certificate andrelated pre-instructional assessment tool to quantify an individual's levelof proficiency in the following measurable work-ready skills: (i) reading,(ii) applied math, (iii) locating information, and (iv) any additional skillsnecessary to meet business and industry skill demand;
2. Targeted instruction and remediation skills training to address thosework-ready skills in which the individual is not proficient as measured bythe pre-instructional assessment tool designed to meet identified specificskill needs of local employers;
3. A Career Readiness Certificate awarded to individuals upon successfulattainment of work-ready skills as documented by the assessment tool; and
4. A statewide online data system to serve as the repository for CareerReadiness Certificate attainment data. The system shall (i) serve as theadministrative tool to administer and help promote the Program; (ii)incorporate online services that enable employers to search individual CareerReadiness Certificate data to determine skill levels and locate certifiedindividuals in the state or a region; and (iii) incorporate online servicesthat offer individuals tools for career exploration, continued educationopportunities, job-readiness practice, and job search capabilities. TheVirginia Workforce Council shall seek to ensure the confidentiality ofindividual Career Readiness Certificate recipients. This shall includeprovisions for individuals, except for employer-sponsored individuals, toopt-in and opt-out of the statewide online data system at any testoccurrence. Additionally, the provisions of §§ 2.2-3800 through 2.2-3803shall be considered in individual confidentiality protections adopted by theVirginia Workforce Council.
D. The Council, in consultation with the Secretary of Education, shalldevelop policies and guidelines necessary to implement and administer theProgram.
E. The Council shall report Program outcomes to the Governor, the SenateCommerce and Labor Committee, Senate Education and Health Committee, HouseCommerce and Labor Committee, and House Education Committee of the GeneralAssembly by December 1 of each year. The report shall make recommendationsfor improving the program, including funding recommendations.
(2008, cc. 243, 679.)