“Jessica came to me in tears. Her marriage had ended, and she needed help getting her life organized,” said Lofstrom. “She was raising her children by herself and receiving government assistance. All she knew is she wanted to be a welder.”

Jessica Thompson’s dream was to become a welder. ACT workforce tools helped her reach that goal.

Lofstrom, coordinator of the college’s Strategies To Empower People (STEP), works with students who are in financial distress. She administers ACT KeyTrain, Career Ready 101, and ACT WorkKeys assessments to help students achieve the skill levels they need to obtain entry-level employment in their technical training areas. All STEP students enrolled in courses longer than a month in length must take ACT WorkKeys assessments before they graduate.

Thompson has earned credentials, including the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), a technical diploma in welding, and an associate’s degree from Louisiana Delta Community College. She now works as a process technician at Dow Chemical in Freeport, Texas.

Employers and colleges asked for Thompson’s ACT WorkKeys scores at every step of her journey. “I kept having to come to Vicki to get copies of my WorkKeys scores and, at one point, I came to her to take the WorkKeys Applied Technology assessment that was required for an internship,” she said.

Thompson’s experience sold Lofstrom on what KeyTrain and WorkKeys could do for all students. “WorkKeys gives them verifiable proof of their abilities in addition to their diplomas and degrees. I always encourage students to show their WorkKeys scores and NCRC to employers and explain what they mean,” said Lofstrom.