SALISBURY, N.C. — Job seekers can improve their chances of landing the position they want by gaining career readiness certification through Rowan-Cabarrus Community College (RCCC).

            Career readiness certification (CRC) is a national program that helps job applicants show proof of their basic skills to employers. The certificate is a portable credential, allowing job searchers to use it anywhere in the United States to demonstrate their competence in key foundational skills.

            “The National Career Readiness Certificate works like standardize tests for college admissions,” explained Jeanie Moore, RCCC vice president of continuing education. “Colleges use test scores to determine if a student is ready for college-level coursework. Employers use the National Career Readiness Certificate to help determine if a job applicant is ready for a specific job or training program.”

            To secure the National Career Readiness Certificate, persons must complete the Work Keys® job skills assessment and instruction program. The Work Keys program ensures job seekers possess basic workplace skills needed in applied mathematics, reading for information and locating information.

            “Job applicants can use the National Career Readiness Certificate to complement their diplomas, degrees and resumes and gain an advantage in the interview process,” Moore said. “The certificate helps employers quickly identify skilled candidates in their applicant groups.”

            To start the CRC process, persons first must complete a career advisement lab. RCCC offers lab sessions at its North Campus in Salisbury, R3 Center in Kannapolis, and Cabarrus Business & Technology Center in Concord. Day, evening and Saturday sessions are available. Some persons, based on employment status and income, are able to complete the CRC program free of charge. The career advisement labs are free to everyone.

            For more information about the career readiness certification program, call RCCC at 704-216-7212.

           Rowan-Cabarrus Community College is a comprehensive, community-based institution of higher learning, serving the citizens of Rowan and Cabarrus Counties. RCCC offers approximately 40 programs of study in business, health and human services and engineering technologies at multiple campus locations. RCCC annually provides more than 2,000 course offerings, serving an enrollment of approximately 20,000 adult students. RCCC programs include an associate degree in arts and sciences, an associate degree in applied science, and diploma and certificate programs focusing on workforce training, continuing education and basic skills education.

           In addition, RCCC provides the education and job-training programs needed to meet many of the workforce demands of the North Carolina Research Campus, under construction in Kannapolis, N.C.

           For complete details, see the RCCC website at www.rowancabarrus.edu.