Verify Employee Competencies
Ensure craft workers meet project needs and industry standards for skills and knowledge.
Assess. Verify. Upskill.
Build a Workforce You Can Trust on Any Jobsite.
Skills Evaluation for a Job-Ready Workforce
Owners and contractors need confidence that every craft professional on their project has the knowledge and skills to perform safe, high-quality work.
NCCER's Journey-Level Craft Assessment Program provide a standardized, nationally recognized method to evaluate proficiency, identify skill gaps and guide targeted training and development.
What are Assessments and Performance Verifications?
Assessments are proctored, closed-book tests that measure the participants' understanding of key concepts and best practices within a specific craft area.
Performance Verifications consist of a series of hands-on tasks, observed by a certified evaluator, that demonstrate a person’s physical ability to correctly complete key job duties.
Combined with an individual’s work experience and employment history, assessments and performance verifications provide a clear picture of a person’s knowledge and skills.
The Value of Journey-Level Assessments
Get Targeted Training Plans
Identify areas for improvement and get tailored, precise training and upskilling prescriptions.
Optimize Job Site Performance
Improve your teams' productivity, efficiency, quality and safety while reducing risk and rework.
Create Paths to Certification
Help employees take the initial steps to earn journey-level craft certification.
Boost Employee Satisfaction
Support employee recruitment and retention by investing in career development.
Enhance Company Reputation
Bolster project bids and grow trust by using validated and credentialed craft professionals.
The Leader in Construction Assessments
For 30 years, the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) has been the construction industry's leader in assessment, training and certification.
What Makes NCCER Assessments Different :
- Standardized for consistency and recognized by industry nationwide
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Developed in partnership with experienced subject matter experts to meet industry needs
- Built by experienced test developers and psychometricians to ensure reliability, validity and rigor
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Conducted by certified proctors on a secure testing platform to ensure credibility and integrity
- Aligned with NCCER's training curricula to support data-driven, efficient upskilling and remediation
50+
Unique Assessments Available
372K+
Assessments Completed All-Time
“We see a lot of value in the Assessments ... They can really tell you the skill level of the employee. NCCER’s Assessment and performance measures are the best out there."Bob Larson, Matrix Service
How NCCER Journey-Level Assessments Work
1. Select the Craft Assessment
Choose from NCCER’s catalog of 50+ assessments to assign to the journey-level craft professional(s) you want to assess.
To see the full selection of NCCER Assessments, click here.
2. Assess Knowledge & Skills
Assign your people the knowledge assessment, the skills performance verification or both.
3. Review Detailed Gap Analysis
Receive a breakdown of strengths and weaknesses tied to job tasks, safety and productivity.
4. Utilize Personalized Training Plans
Upskill your people based on auto-generated training plans that target the exact knowledge each worker needs.
5. Validate Workforce Readiness
Include the number of certified craft professionals in your bid packages.
Assessment Accreditation
NCCER Assessments are administered through NCCER-accredited Assessment Programs.
To assess your company's craft employees, there are two options:
Option 1: Become Accredited
Companies wishing to assess their own employees in-house can apply for NCCER accreditation as an Assessment Program.
Our Workforce Development Team can walk you through the accreditation process, train and support your staff and help you build your program.
Option 2: Use a Public Assessment Center
Some NCCER-accredited Assessment Programs choose to provide service to the public, allowing other companies to benefit from their existing infrastructure.
Please note that utilizing public NCCER Assessment Centers may come with additional center-set service charges.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does an NCCER Assessment take?
Most knowledge assessments take 60–90 minutes to complete.
Performance verification duration varies by craft.
How many journey-level assessments does NCCER have?
NCCER currently offers 50+ unique journey-level assessments in English. Assessments are also available for several key crafts in Spanish.
To see a full current list of NCCER Assessments, click here.
How long does it take to get set up to offer NCCER Assessments?
A company can get set up as NCCER-accredited Assessment Program in two to four weeks. Timing is dependent on the organizations ability to complete the application process and have a person or people go through the required online training.
How much does it cost to offer NCCER Assessments?
To become an NCCER-accredited Assessment Program, there is an initial accreditation application fee of $4,900. After receiving accreditation, there is an annual renewal fee of $600. Discounts are available for programs that already have NCCER Training Program accreditation. Click here for full details on accreditation pricing.
Most assessments cost $44.95 per test. Click here for full details on assessment pricing.
Note: Additional fees apply for crane, rigger and signal person program endorsements and assessments.
Do Assessments result in NCCER Credentials or Journey-Level Certifications?
Candidates who successfully pass a journey-level assessment earn a Knowledge Verified credential.
Candidates who successfully pass a performance verification earn a Performance Verified credential.
Candidates who earn both a Knowledge Verified and a Performance Verified credential for a craft are awarded an NCCER Certification for that craft.
Start Assessing Your Workforce
Ready to start assessing your workforce, or simply want to learn more about how NCCER Assessments works? Fill out the form below to connect with one of our Workforce Development representatives.