WorkKeys^® Helps Grand Rapids Company Get the Right People on the Team

ACT’s WorkKeys and the National Career Readiness Certificate are helping a Michigan manufacturer continue to thrive in tough economic times.

Thanks to its use of three WorkKeys assessments, Wolverine Coil Spring has a better grasp of its current employees’ abilities, and confidence that new employees have the foundational skills to succeed in company training programs. “WorkKeys gives us a very quick and decisive understanding of a person’s competencies,” said Jay Dunwell, president of Wolverine Coil Spring.

Based in Grand Rapids, Wolverine Coil Spring creates metal-formed products for companies worldwide. It specializes in metal springs (coiled wire) and also makes a wide array of stampings and clips, wire forms, and assemblies. Approximately 60 to 70 percent of Wolverine’s products are purchased by the automotive industry. The company has about 50 full-time employees.

Remaining competitive has required Wolverine to invest in expensive, sophisticated equipment, which allows the company to be innovative in its products and processes. “Machinery has become very high tech, requiring employees to have more advanced skills than ever before to successfully operate it,” said Dunwell. “It’s vital that we have the right people on the team and performing the right jobs to maximize our success.”

Finding these people is why Dunwell got involved in the West Michigan Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative, which provided funding for Wolverine to test current employees with the Applied Mathematics, Reading for Information, and Locating Information assessments.

“The test results showed that some of our workers weren’t able to handle some of the work we were asking of them. Identifying these skill deficits led to specific training to close the gaps. We also found a few workers who scored well, yet were doing entry-level tasks. We put those people on a fast track with some technical training and provided advancement opportunities,” said Dunwell.

In fact, one employee went from packing springs to operating the company’s most advanced equipment. “In addition to finding occasional ‘diamond in the rough’ employees, the WorkKeys testing is helping us build career ladders based on employees’ training plans and rising skill levels.”

Once Wolverine had a clear picture of its current employees, there was no question that new employees should be tested with the same assessments. Applicants for full-time jobs must earn a Michigan National Career Readiness Certificate at the level determined by a job profile analysis for the position.

Dunwell, who took the three assessments and achieved a gold National Career Readiness Certificate, encourages other Michigan employers to take advantage of WorkKeys and the certificate. “Only the companies who understand their employees’ skill sets and make the most of them are going to survive. Employers can know their employees’ skills with WorkKeys and the National Career Readiness Certificate. It doesn’t cost a thing to require or request that an applicant present a certificate. It’s simply a matter of asking for it.”

Zophia Kowejsza, Machine Operator

Janet Booth, Outside Services Coordinator

Nate Kiser, CNC Spring Team Leader

Henry Oracz III, Set-Up Technician

Ed Grochowalski, Fourslide and Stamping Team Leader

Wolverine Coil Spring employees are on the job at the company’s facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1946, Wolverine is a third-generation family business producing metal-formed products for manufacturers worldwide. The company has tested current employees with WorkKeys and instituted the National Career Readiness Certificate as a pre-interview tool for new employees.