Jobseekers now have an opportunity to earn a new Professional Skills Credential by passing two assessments, Essential Soft Skills and Digital Literacy. The Professional Skills is a new combination of the two assessments producing one Professional Skills Credential that demonstrates to employers the communication, problem-solving, and digital skills needed to succeed in today’s workplace.

The Essential Soft Skills Assessment measures the attitudinal and behavioral skills that are most needed in the workplace, such as communicating effectively, conveying professionalism, promoting teamwork and collaboration, and thinking critically and solving problems. The Digital Literacy Assessment measures learners’ ability to find, evaluate, use, create, and communicate information using digital technologies. When jobseekers pass both assessments, they earn a custom credential signed by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster that they can share online with their professional network and add to their resume or portfolio. The Professional Skills Credential is available to anyone in the state of South Carolina who is interested in earning it, and there are no prerequisites or fees currently to take the assessments.

"Employers recognize soft skills are critical ingredients for their workforce, and applicants who possess those skills are in high demand. The Professional Skills Credential demonstrates a jobseeker’s strengths and preparedness for employment,” said DEW Executive Director William Floyd. “South Carolina is the first state to offer this WIN Learning tool, which will help the state’s employers and jobseekers.”

DEW continues to offer the WIN Work Ready Credential that is earned by successfully passing the foundational academic skills assessments in math, reading, and data analysis. Over 20 years of prevailing career readiness skills research defines the standards for these core skills as mathematical reasoning skills; reading, understanding, and interpreting workplace text; and interpreting data presented in charts, graphs, and similar workplace information.

Through the DEW and WIN Learning partnership, South Carolina businesses can also utilize a third resource, the WIN Job Analysis, a thorough and unbiased job analysis model that is designed to help employers source the right candidates, set appropriate selection standards, and hire and advance the most suitable individual for the job. This process helps businesses identify the right skills for roles in their organization to enhance recruitment, training, and performance. Interested employers are eligible to receive a minimum of one job analysis and up to a maximum of five job analyses to assess different positions within their company. DEW is offering free WIN Job Analyses on a first-come, first-serve basis until funding is exhausted.

WIN assessments are aligned with the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET Job Zones Framework (Levels 1-5), the nation's largest database of occupational profiles, and the WIN credentials are endorsed by the National Work Readiness Council.

To learn more about the new Professional Skills Credential or information on all the available WIN assessments, visit: https://scworks.org/employer/education-and-training/south-carolina-career-readiness-program.