Although the economy recovered around 90% of the estimated 22 million jobs lost during COVID lockdowns, there is still a significant gap between the number of open positions and the number of people actually hired. The demand for workers is at the highest it’s been in decades and many employers have complained about the scarcity of job candidates.
Workforce development organizations across the country are looking for more ways to provide job-specific training and help get people back to work. These nonprofit organizations act as a catalyst between training and the open positions in the industry. Many have reached out to Nocti Business Solutions to ask for help recognizing and validating learners’ skills. To fill this need, NBS created a brand new program specifically for nonprofits providing industry training to displaced workers.
Workforce Development Program from NBS
This new program is designed to assist nonprofit workforce development entities who are actively providing training programs to displaced workers, individuals looking to upskill, and youth who are no longer seeking a high school diploma at a traditional high school. Technical skill assessments offered through NBS can be used to align training programs to validate trainees’ skills and to prepare the workforce for local industry needs.
Program Benefits
Nonprofits participating in the program will be able to leverage NBS technical skills assessments at a reduced price. “We see this as our way to give back,” said Anne Gielczyk, NBS Vice President. “We wanted to help nonprofits who are providing job training and helping people get back to work. Developing this program enables NBS to take a more active role in closing the skills gap.”
After taking a technical skills assessment, successful candidates can earn a Workforce Competency Credential, which helps communicate to employers that an individual has the necessary industry-specific skills to be successful on the job.
How Can Nonprofits Leverage the Program?
Nonprofit workforce development entities can partner with NBS to validate learners’ skills in a training program. NBS provides Blueprints for every assessment to help ensure training aligns with the competencies in the exam. NBS assessments are built on industry standards and developed by subject matter experts, making them highly credible and reliable.
Since the program launched in late 2021, several workforce development organizations across the U.S. have reached out to NBS for the essential credentials to complement their programs.
In Arkansas, a local Goodwill is offering training for maintenance, carpentry, manufacturing, and employability skills. Another site in New Hampshire is offering culinary classes aimed at individuals who lost their jobs due to COVID. The program offers a way for those who already have experience in food service to learn new skills and advance their careers.
NBS also offers assessments that fit with soft skills and employability training. A program in New Jersey is offering training for administrative assistants to fill that specific need in the tri-state area.
“We’ve received interest from so many different kinds of programs,” said Kay Cole, Business & Industry Coordinator at NBS. “I had a call from someone from New Jersey who wanted to develop a bakery program focused on training people coming out of prison. NBS has a retail commercial baking assessment, so I talked with him about how to develop training that aligns with industry standards. He didn’t know what his next steps were when he called, he just had this vision of wanting to help people. Now he’s working on putting the pieces together for a new program.”
Validate Learners’ Skills with NBS
If you would like to learn more about the Workforce Development Program or would like to apply, please reach out to Kay Cole at Kay.Cole@nocti.org or 1-800-334-6283.
NBS has been helping organizations solve workforce challenges for over 20 years. One of the ways we accomplish this is by validating workers’ skills and knowledge with technical skills assessments and pre-employment tests. Our assessments are not “self-validating” but instead are founded on industry standards and developed by subject matter experts. With over 170 assessments available across every industry, we help our clients fill open positions with the most qualified candidates.
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