Autumn 2003 Activity : WorkKeys Helps Candidates Prove Their Readiness

WorkKeys^® Helps Candidates Prove Their Readiness

Denise, laid off from a factory job, returned to school and now works as an accountant.

James, once at risk of dropping out of school, received his GED and now studies at a technical college and mentors young children.

Kimberly, diagnosed with a bipolar disorder, now has a 4.0 grade point average and is pursuing a master’s degree in art education.

All three Louisiana residents found career and educational direction in a program built on ACT’s WorkKeys^® job skill assessment system. They were among the first of 1,200 to earn Work Ready employability certificates this summer.

“These are people who thought they weren’t going to go anywhere in life,” said Karen Sue Zoeller, communications director for the Louisiana governor’s office. “They got involved with Work Ready and worked hard toward getting certificates, and they’ve turned their lives around. It takes time to get an actual college degree in hand. But if they can get a Work Ready certificate, suddenly they’ve got something that says they can be a success. It’s a huge motivator for them.”

“WorkKeys and the Work Ready program help us determine where our employees are on the ladder of success, especially when it comes to promotion. All other factors being equal, the employee with the certificate gets the nod.”
—Ed Portier, training specialist for Northrub Grumman Avondale, one of Louisiana’s largest employers.

Louisiana Work Ready certifies that employees, students and job applicants have the skills required by more than 9,000 Louisiana jobs that were profiled using the WorkKeys job profiling system. The program awards gold, silver, and bronze Work Ready certificates to participants who achieve passing scores on the WorkKeys exams.

“We’ve been using WorkKeys for a year and a half now, and it has proven valuable to us,” said Ed Portier, training specialist for Northrup Grumman Avondale, the defense shipbuilder that is one of Louisiana’s largest employers. “WorkKeys and the Work Ready program help us determine where our employees are on the ladder of success, especially when it comes to promotion. All other factors being equal, the employee with the certificate gets the nod.”

Denise, James, and Kimberly received their certificates in June, at a three-day conference titled “Louisiana Work Ready: What’s All the Talk About?” The conference brought together 350 Louisiana employers, educators, and others to learn about the Work Ready program.

“We were pleased with both the turnout and the level of excitement generated by the attendees,” Zoeller said. “We had people from nonprofit organizations wanting to find out how Work Ready could tie in with their own programs, and employers represented from labor markets all over the state.”

Work Ready was created by Louisiana’s governor, M.J. “Mike” Foster, to address skill gaps in Louisiana. The statewide partnership includes representatives from the governor’s office as well as the State Board of Regents, the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, and Louisiana&3146;s departments of Economic Development, Education, Labor, Public Safety and Corrections.

WorkKeys® Helps Candidates Prove Their Readiness

WorkKeys^® Helps Candidates Prove Their Readiness