The reading and math skills needed for success in the workplace are comparable to those needed for success in the first year of college, a study released this year shows. Conducted by ACT Inc., the study provides some of the first empirical evidence for those contending that the skills needed for work and postsecondary education are converging because of changes in an increasingly global, high-tech economy. Based on the results, the ACT recommends that all high school students should experience a common academic core that prepares them for both college and workforce training, regardless of their future plans. (Contains 1 graph.)