Ready for Industry (RFI), a series of online courses from eDynamic Learning, aims to help near-term job seekers learn about the careers available to them and gain the skills they need to be successful. RFI eases the transition from the classroom to the workplace by focusing on practical job skills and boosting job seekers’ employability. Upon program completion, learners have the opportunity to take a NOCTI/NBS assessment to validate their knowledge and help them stand out among other entry-level job applicants.
Bridging the Gap Between Technical Skills and Workplace Skills
New employees are often unprepared for the workplace. Many schools and training centers provide technical skills training, but learners often miss out on the bigger picture of workplace terminology, issues, and processes. RFI courses are designed to bridge this gap between technical skills and industry-specific workplace skills.
Sheila Boyington, who co-founded the RFI curriculum with her spouse Dr. Dane Boyington, said they wanted to focus on career awareness and preparation, “People don’t understand the industries that are out there. So how are they going to pick what career they want to pursue?”
RFI courses are designed to help learners answer two very important questions:
- What industry pathway do I want to pursue?
- What is the basic information that employers want me to know that I might not learn in school?
The Boyingtons created courses for five of the highest-demand industries. These five industries are also ones that offer a living wage and opportunities for advancement.
- Manufacturing
- Healthcare
- Information Technology
- Logistics
- Construction
Courses Prepare Learners for In-Demand Jobs
Courses are self-paced and online, taking around 15-20 hours to complete. Each provides instruction on:
- Introduction to the industry
- What it is like to work in the industry
- Industry terminology and common practices
- Career opportunities and descriptions
- Current issues and trends in the industry
- Career pathways, education, and certifications in the industry
- Workplace expectations in the industry
RFI does not focus on technical skills. Instead, each course is designed to help job seekers identify a career pathway and obtain the knowledge needed to be successful. Boyington says “RFI is not teaching learners how to code in the IT course. Rather, we’re helping them understand the whole industry.” This means explaining industry terminology like “blockchain” and “AI” and describing the types of jobs available. This foundational knowledge helps job seekers understand what a career in the IT industry actually looks like.
RFI courses also make job seekers more attractive to potential employers by focusing on essential workplace skills. If someone is already familiar with the industry and what’s expected of them, they will be a more valuable and productive employee from day one.
RFI is available to workforce centers, community colleges, and adult learners. Four states—Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Tennessee—have contracted with eDynamic Learning to offer RFI courses at no cost to nonprofit workforce development organizations. Organizations in other states who are interested in RFI courses should contact eDynamic Learning directly.
NBS Credentials Validate Skills and Prove Employability
At the end of each course, learners have the opportunity to take a standardized assessment that aligns with their chosen industry. People who pass the assessment earn the Ready for Industry credential and can add it to their resumes and online profiles.
Nocti Business Solutions, along with our sister organization NOCTI, worked closely with RFI to develop valid, reliable end-of-program assessments. While the assessments are a recent addition to the RFI program, it has quickly become a valuable tool for learners to demonstrate their career readiness to potential employers. The blueprints for the Ready for Industry assessments provide an overview of the types of information covered by each credential.
“While we understand the Ready for Industry courses on their own were valuable, it was important to also be able to communicate that value to employers,” explains Boyington. “And so the way you do that is to offer a credential that then can be used to communicate with an employer that people that have utilized these resources and actually have learned what you want them to.”
Not only does a high-quality credential showcase their skills but also proves their trainability. Credential holders improve their job prospects, and employers can have confidence that they are hiring someone who can be successful from the start.
Boyington touts the value of these kinds of programs, saying, “We’ve really come to a recognition of the importance of career readiness and career awareness that wasn’t there about 20 years ago.” Competency-based credentials and transitional job training programs like RFI are helping job seekers gain industry-relevant skills that enable them to shift seamlessly from job training to career.
How Can NBS Credentials Enhance Your Skills Training?
NBS is a nationally recognized credentialing body known for developing valid, reliable, and legally defensible technical assessments. We are proud to help programs like RFI validate learner’s skills with high-quality credential development. If you would like to learn more about our credentials or how we help certify skilled workers, please send us a message or call 1-800-334-6283.
Recent Comments