Thousands of California Workers Placed in Better Jobs Thanks to WorkKeys

Imagine thinking that all you are qualified to do is pack tomatoes. That’s what a second-generation worker from Mexico thought until an ACT WorkKeys assessment proved her wrong.

Pam Lassetter, assistant director of the Fresco County Workforce Investment Board, tells the story of a woman who lost her job at a tomato packing plant after 20 years of employment. “She was assessed with WorkKeys and went through training. We discovered she had phenomenally strong business skills. After she completed skill training, the county hired her as a program analyst.”

This worker is one of thousands in California’s San Joaquin Valley who have learned about the variety of careers available to them, gotten the necessary training, and been placed in higher-wage jobs. More than 5,300 area job seekers have taken WorkKeys since 2002.

Educating workers about the diversity of career options available to them has been a challenge.

Known as “the bread basket of America,” the San Joaquin Valley is the largest agricultural area in the nation, with 1.8 million acres of agricultural land. Thirty percent of jobs in the region are agriculture related. Six counties in the valley have high percentages of residents living below the federal poverty line. Many workers don’t have basic literacy skills, while others aren’t aware of the job opportunities available to them outside of agriculture.

The board was committed to helping workers find high-paying jobs in fast-growing industries taking root in the community—including healthcare, manufacturing, supply chain management and logistics, commercial trades, automotive technology, information technology, and in renewable energy, which is California’s fastest-growing job sector. Board members needed a foundational career skills exam that would help them place workers. They turned to WorkKeys because the system is applicable across the workplace spectrum.

“WorkKeys has been used to profile more than 14,000 jobs,” said Lassetter. “It gives an expert view of the skills needed for those jobs, and it helps our clients make really good career decisions.”

Print this article

<< Previous article  |  Current Issue Home  |  Top of Page  |  Next article >>