Testing and Assessment

FRTW - Florida Ready to Work

Florida Ready to Work (FRTW) is a career education and credentialing program focused on foundational employability and essential soft skills readiness for technical education, industry certification, college, apprenticeship, and employment.  The credentials and corresponding courseware are available to all Miami Dade College students and prospective students. For more information, please visit the Florida Ready to Work website. The steps to earn the credentials are below.  

Students who complete the program may earn the Florida Ready to Work Credential and/or the Florida Soft Skills Credential. Those who successfully complete the program earn up to three stackable credentials, proof the individual is ready to work. The credentials are signed by the Governor and recognized as a common measure of foundational employability skill readiness for most jobs across industry sectors.  

The FRTW training is available in English and Spanish.  However, the proctored assessment(s) is/are only in English.

For all other career services, such as resume assistance, interview preparation, job and internship search, career readiness workshops, and employer information sessions, please go to the MDC Works web page, or contact an MDC WORKS Career Coach for assistant via mdcworks@mdc.edu or 305-237-9675 (WORK).

Essential soft skills training and credentialing

The Florida Ready to Work - Soft Skills solution features highly interactive digital training focused on in-demand employability skills including conveying professionalism, communicating effectively, teamwork and collaboration, and thinking critically and solving problems.

Each fully narrated module includes a pre-test, career contextualized direct instruction, and a post-test to measure learning gains. Embedded practice and decision tree activities engage learners and reinforce understanding of concepts. Employers share in their own words why soft skills matter. Scripted scenario-based videos demonstrate the 'worst' and 'best' responses to relatable workplace situations. The online training is self-paced and accessible from any digital device anywhere anytime. The training is also easily integrated as a classroom, lab or extension activity. For staff-assisted or classroom-based implementation, companion whole group activities, individual practice, and culminating capstone project are offered to further advance skill development. A one-hour, online proctored assessment validates mastery of skills. Those who pass the assessment earn the Florida Ready to Work - Soft Skills Credential which is issued by the State of Florida and signed by the Governor.

The Soft Skills Curriculum

• Conveying Professionalism – Dependability, courtesy, attitude, motivation, personal accountability, and time management.
• Communicating Effectively – Verbal and nonverbal communication and listening; use of communication tools including email etiquette, cell phone, and social networking; resolving conflict; and acknowledging criticism.
• Promoting Teamwork and Collaboration – Teamwork skills and interactions, benefits of diversity and sensitivity to differences, accepting responsibility, and leadership.
• Thinking Critically and Solving Problems – Innovation, creativity, flexibility, overcoming adversity, goal setting, and critical thinking strategies.

Digital Skills training and credentialing 

Current research indicates nearly 1 in 3 workers lack the foundational digital literacy skills now required for most jobs across all industries. Florida Ready to Work has added a new digital skills solution targeting in-demand foundational technology skills including computer operations, internet browsing, creating and sharing digital documents, and using common digital communication and security tools. The solution includes five modules of free, online, self-paced digital skills training. The training is accessible from any computer or tablet any place, anytime. A one-hour, online proctored assessment validates mastery of skills. Those who pass the assessment earn the Florida Ready to Work - Digital Skills Credential which is issued by the State of Florida and signed by the Governor. Individuals who earn the Florida Ready to Work – Digital Skills Credential have mastered skills in five main areas.

Digital Skills

• Computer Operations – ability to identify different types of devices, parts of a computer, software applications, and operate computers in a professional setting.

• Internet Browsing – ability to connect to the internet, navigate the world wide web, and identify and use different browsers.

• Digital Communications – ability to identify and use digital communication tools such as email, video conferencing, instant messaging, and social media in a professional setting.

• Digital Documents – ability to use and create common workplace digital documents, such as word processing documents, spreadsheets, slide presentations, online forms, and shared documents.

• Digital Security – understand the purpose of security policies and procedures, password security, privacy settings, security software, and VPNs and their importance in the workplace. 

The five core skillsets measured by the Florida Ready to Work – Digital Skills solution were derived from research into different states’ standards for digital literacy and the most prevalent technology skills and tools as defined by the US Department of Labor’s O*NET occupations database. Employers and workforce stakeholders were consulted for feedback on the most current needs in the field for technology skills improvement. Earning the Florida Ready to Work – Digital Skills Credential allows learners and job seekers to show future employers that they have the basic technological skills to succeed in any occupation.

Employability skills training and credentialing

Florida Ready to Work provides online career-contextualized training that develops the foundational skills required by most jobs, across industries. The training is self-directed, self-paced, and accessible from any computer or tablet any place, anytime. 

Academic Employability Skills Training 

•  Work Ready Math builds mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills to prepare learners to solve real-life workplace problems, such as calculating dimensions, costs, and percentages; reviewing transactions to ensure accuracy; and comparing rates.

• Work Ready Reading builds reading comprehension and reasoning skills to prepare learners to utilize documents in the workplace, such as memos, letters, directions, signs, notices, policies, and regulations. Skills include obtaining and applying new vocabulary; following complex instructions; and understanding policies and procedures.

• Work Ready Data builds analytical skills to prepare learners to interpret sources of data in the workplace, such as charts, graphs, tables, flowcharts, diagrams, and maps. Skills include identifying trends among variables, recognizing significant and extraneous data points, and drawing conclusions from one or more sources of data.

To earn the Florida Ready to Work Credential - Academic Employability Skills, participants must pass three, one-hour proctored assessments validating mastery of foundational workplace math, reading, and data analysis skills. There are four Achievement Levels that correlate with the U.S. Department of Labor O*NET Job Zones 2-3-4-5, the nation’s primary source of occupational data. The levels build on each other with each higher level indicating readiness for more jobs. Those who pass the three assessments earn the Florida Ready to Work Credential which is issued by the State of Florida and signed by the Governor.