Philippines Human Resource Company Becomes First International WorkKeys^® Solutions Provider

Thousands of Filipinos seek jobs every month. However, many do not meet the qualifications required by employers. What happens to those who do not qualify?

A proctor monitors the room as applicants at the SFI CareerCenter complete an online assessment.

The SFI CareerCenter, which is a subsidiary of the SFI Group of Companies based in Quezon City, Philippines, aims to uplift the Filipino workforce in the country. Successfully launched in 2010, the SFI CareerCenter has become the first international WorkKeys Solutions Provider (WSP) and will issue International Career Readiness Certificates.

“We believe that Filipino individuals have the potential to succeed amidst adversities and to develop, augment, and enhance themselves to produce optimum performance in their chosen career paths through assessment and evaluation, training and development, and career coaching,” said SFI CareerCenter Director Zayda M. Marquez.

The SFI CareerCenter emerged from its flagship company, Servicio Filipino Inc., established in 1961, and identifies qualified workers and places them in jobs with its clients, which range from privately owned companies to government agencies. The organization employs highly skilled personnel in the engineering, construction, property management, building management, technical services, and human resource management and consultancy services sectors.

Although the organization receives 6,000 to 12,000 new resumes each month, only about 10 percent of the applicants meet requirements for available jobs. As Servicio Filipino Inc. prepared to launch its next 50 years of serving companies in the Philippines on March 4, it sought a way to help the other 90 percent improve their skills. ACT’s Work Readiness System, which includes job analysis, assessments, training and curriculum, certification, and research and analytics, provides the ideal solution, said Luis Alberto A. Anastacio II, executive vice president of SFI Group of Companies and president of SFI CareerCenter.

“The ACT tools work hand in hand to support a career development program that increases the chances for Filipino job applicants to gain an employment advantage and be hired in their chosen fields,” he said.

A staff member with the SFI CareerCenter reviews career opportunities with a job applicant.

In line with the president, Marquez believes that ACT will play a valuable role in the Filipino workforce development and enrichment toward being globally competitive.

“Companies and multinational corporations in the Philippines seek documentation of applicants’ skills and competencies. The International Career Readiness Certificate fulfills this expectation by providing a valid and reliable gauge of workers’ knowledge, skills, abilities, and values,” she said.

Some applicants are already employed, but are seeking more advanced positions. Some are career shifters who have left agricultural jobs and moved to the cities for better-paying work. Some are in jobs for which they are not fully trained, while others are in jobs that are below their level of education and training. Varying applicants include unemployed high school graduates, college graduates, and a few people nearing retirement age.

The SFI CareerCenter uses the WorkKeys Estimator to determine the skills and skills levels needed for specific jobs. The WorkKeys Readiness Indicator helps identify applicants who are likely to achieve scores of level 3 or above on the WorkKeys assessments.

Those meeting score requirements from the WorkKeys Readiness Indicator take the assessments appropriate to the jobs they are seeking. Those who do not meet the desired WorkKeys Readiness Indicator scores or who do not meet job requirements after taking the actual WorkKeys assessments are offered KeyTrain^®, a comprehensive training curriculum that helps people improve the basic skills measured by the WorkKeys assessments.

Most applicants take the three WorkKeys assessments included in the International Career Readiness Certificate program: Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, and Reading for Information. Those who earn qualifying scores receive a certificate and are placed in jobs.

The SFI CareerCenter offers other WorkKeys foundational skills assessments, including Applied Technology, Business Writing, Listening, Teamwork, Workplace Observation, and Writing. Applicants may also take ACT’s soft skills assessments: Performance, Talent, and Fit, which measure work attitudes and behaviors. The assessments are administered and certificates are produced in English, which is the predominant language in Filipino government, education, and business.

The SFI CareerCenter is currently working with schools and government departments to introduce ACT’s Work Readiness System to Filipinos.

“Our strong ties with education and government allow us to begin raising awareness of the core competencies tested by the WorkKeys assessments. This first set of participants will be our benchmark for future administrations of WorkKeys in the Philippines,” said Anastacio.