School District Prepares Hundreds of Students for Local Careers

August 2006

The School District:
Lake Havasu Unified School District No. 1, Lake Havasu City, AZ

The Challenge:
Preparing high school students for local employment

The Solution:
Using WorkKeys^® assessments to boost students' job skills

The Results:
More than 400 high school students are certified, while local businesses use this credential to assist with more efficient hiring strategies

Challenge
The healthy business community in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, contains companies both large and small, and many high school students seek entry-level employment in the area, even before they graduate.

School district officials in Lake Havasu wanted to give students an advantage when seeking local jobs. They teamed up with the local Partnership for Economic Development, which includes the local economic development boards, community colleges, workforce development boards, and business partners. The result was a "career readiness certificate" that encompasses two Arizona counties—Mohave and LaPaz.

"When I was in school, we were told the real world would happen when students turned 18," said Shawna Schneikart, career and technical education coordinator for the Lake Havasu School District. "Now, many of them already are working, and not in jobs they want. We wanted a system to match students with entry-level jobs in fields they want. We don't want to associate postsecondary training just with college. We wanted to give them a lifelong learning plan."

The certificate has three levels corresponding with score levels on three WorkKeys assessments: Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, and Reading for Information. The district chose WorkKeys as the basis because the tests communicate to many different audiences. "We saw the value of WorkKeys beyond high school," Schneikart said. "Employers will ask students if they have a workplace credential. They see the value in it."

Testing began during the 2004-05 school year. Assessments were administered by a combination of instructors and proctors. In the initial group of participants, 97 students received certificates at an assembly which included local business leaders. "The buy-in was there," Schneikart said. "Every adult there wanted to see more use of WorkKeys in the area. One girl took her certificate into her work and received a huge raise."

The district uses the results of WorkKeys exams to help match students who are highly skilled with employers who want competent workers. Currently, Mohave Community College is working with local businesses to set up assessment and training opportunities within the area. Certificates are issued by the local Workforce Investment Board.

Results

Hundreds of certificates awarded—As of early 2006, 429 high school students have received certificates through Lake Havasu High School.
Buy-in from the local business community—Several community businesses are accepting the certificates when hiring. One of the first was Coach-Net—a technical and roadside assistance company for recreational vehicles—which now accepts certificates from applicants and incumbent employees.

Coach-Net CEO Henry Stroup said the costs of hiring and training employees at the company can top $5,000. He said the credentials give the company an effective screening tool, as applicants who have certificates in hand are proven to be trainable. "We understand the value of the certificates," Stroup said. "It's not just about money."
A community-wide program—"Anybody in the community can go to the college to pursue a certificate," Schneikart said. "We're speaking with local hospitals, banks, insurance companies and other businesses, and more of them are getting on board with the program."
Possible statewide adoption of the program—The Lake Havasu model is now being considered as a model for all of Arizona to follow.

Quotes
"The WorkKeys credential gives us an effective screening tool in the hiring process. It removes some of the subjectivity and quantifies the candidates' trainability. Candidates coming in with a certificate have a leg up because they have demonstrated a skill set, and employers prefer to invest in people with shorter learning curves."
—Henry Stroup, CEO of Coach-Net