Career Skills and the CRC

Getting a Virginia Career Readiness Certificate allows you to show prospective employers that you possess the basic skills they are looking for.

Even if you have a high school diploma (or GED) or a post-secondary degree, the CRC further verifies that you can handle the kinds of tasks - finding information, reading instructions and directions, even working with figures - that are common in today's workplace.

Building on a Proven Program

The Certificate is based on established WorkKeys® assessment tests. (WorkKeys is a comprehensive skills assessment tool recognized by thousands of companies in the U.S. and by state and federal agencies.) To earn a Career Readiness Certificate, individuals undergo testing related to reading, applied math, and locating information through the WorkKeys skills assessment system.

A Chance to Advance

Individuals can earn three levels of Career Readiness Certificates based on their test performance in Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, and Reading for Information.

Bronze level signifies that a recipient possesses skills for approximately 30% of the jobs profiled by WorkKeys in these three specific skill areas.

Bronze-level Skills in Detail

Silver signifies that a recipient possesses skills for approximately 65% of jobs profiled by WorkKeys in these areas.

Silver-level Skills in Detail

Gold signifies that a recipient possesses skills for 85% of jobs profiled by WorkKeys in the three areas.

Gold-level Skills in Detail


  • Skills Tested: Bronze Level

    Applied Mathematics

    • Solve problems that require a single type of mathematics operation (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) using whole numbers
    • Add or subtract negative numbers
    • Change numbers from one form to another using whole numbers, fractions, decimals, or percentage
    • Convert simple money and time units (e.g., hours to minutes)

    Locating Information

    • Find one or two pieces of information in a graphic
    • Fill in one or two pieces of information that are missing from a graphic

    Reading for Information

    • Identify main ideas and clearly stated details
    • Choose the correct meaning of a word that is clearly defined in the reading
    • Choose the correct meaning of common, everyday workplace words
    • Choose when to perform each step in a short series of steps
    • Apply instructions to a situation that is the same as the one in the reading materials

  • Skills Tested: Silver Level

    In addition to the skills required for a Bronze certificate, Silver certification requires competence in the following areas:

    Applied Mathematics

    • Solve problems that require one or two operations
    • Multiply negative numbers
    • Calculate averages, simple ratios, simple proportions, or rates using whole numbers and decimals
    • Add commonly known fractions, decimals, or percentages (e.g., 1/2, .75, 25%)
    • Add up to three fractions that share a common denominator
    • Multiply a mixed number by a whole number or decimal
    • Put the information in the right order before performing calculations

    Locating Information

    • Find several pieces of information in one or two graphics
    • Understand how graphics are related to each other
    • Summarize information from one or two straightforward graphics
    • Identify trends shown in one or two straightforward graphics
    • Compare information and trends shown in one or two straightforward graphics

    Reading for Information

    • Identify important details that may not be clearly stated
    • Use the reading material to figure out the meaning of words that are not defined
    • Apply instructions with several steps to a situation that is the same as the situation in the reading materials
    • Choose what to do when changing conditions call for a different action (follow directions that include "if-then" statements)

  • Skills Tested: Gold Level

    In addition to the skills required for both Bronze and Silver certificates, Gold certification requires competence in the following areas:

    Applied Mathematics

    • Decide what information, calculations, or unit conversions to use to solve the problem
    • Look up a formula and perform single-step conversions within or between systems of measurement
    • Calculate using mixed units (e.g., 3.5 hours and 4 hours 30 minutes)
    • Divide negative numbers
    • Find the best deal using one- and two-step calculations and then comparing results
    • Calculate perimeters and areas of basic shapes (rectangles and circles)
    • Calculate percent discounts or markups

    Locating Information

    • Sort through distracting information
    • Summarize information from one or more detailed graphics
    • Identify trends shown in one or more detailed or complicated graphics
    • Compare information and trends from one or more complicated graphics

    Reading for Information

    • Determine the correct meaning of a word based on how the word is used
    • Identify the correct meaning of an acronym that is defined in the document
    • Identify the paraphrased definition of a technical term or jargon that is defined in the document
    • Apply technical terms and jargon and relate them to stated situations
    • Apply straightforward instructions to a new situation that is similar to the one described in the material
    • Apply complex instructions that include conditionals to situations described in the materials

    CRC Assessments

    As mentioned above, CRC assessments test applicants in three major areas: Reading for Information, Locating Information, and Applied Mathematics. The different levels earned – bronze, silver and gold – signify increasing levels of difficulty in each area. You may get a detailed description of what skills are tested for at each certificate level:
    Bronze | Silver | Gold

    How to Earn Certification

    Career seekers can obtain a Career Readiness Certificate by taking WorkKeys assessments at any of Virginia's 23 Community Colleges or more than 40 One-Stop Career Centers. Individuals who do not initially achieve the certificate can pursue targeted training and education through the Community Colleges and Career Centers.

    • Go straight to the Virginia Skills Bank to research skills information (including certificate holders) by zip code and other parameters.