Several Richmond Senior High School students and recent graduates have a special shining star on their resumes as they gear up for life after college. These students have earned Work Keys Career Readiness Certification, offered by Richmond Community College.

The Career Readiness Certification serves as verification that an individual has the skills necessary for certain jobs. It predicts one’s ability to learn new skills, and adapt to changing work environments. Students can earn the certificate at three levels: bronze, silver, and gold.

Martha Webb, Career Technical Education Director for Richmond County Schools says the certificate is extremely important for students, especially in the current economic times.

“A growing number of industries are now requiring this certification as part of the qualifications for employment.” Webb said. “We encourage all students to take advantage of the opportunity to be tested.”

The College Tech Prep Grant pays for students to take the test at no personal cost. Students are tested through the high school.

Dr. Carlotta Knotts, Director of the Career Readiness Certificate Program at Richmond Community College says the program prepares students for all types of careers.

“Through WorkKeys, there is generic job database which give scores that employers can look for when hiring employees in new positions.” Knotts said. “Scores are based on the number of correct responses given on the test questions.”

The three tests for the certification are “Reading for Information,” “Locating Information,” and “Applied Math.” A minimum score of three on all three tests qualifies an individual for a bronze-level certification, a minimum score of four qualifies one for the silver, and minimum score of five qualifies the test taker for gold.

Twenty-six seniors earned a gold-level certification. This means that they are certified as ready for 85 percent of jobs. Over the past two years, 251 students have earned silver certification, and 145 have earned bronze level certification.