More WorkKeys in the News

Michigan Business Review, Mich., Sept. 6, 2007
Organizations form partnerships to train more qualified workers: Wanting to make the best use of the limited funding he had available for training, Mark Lindquist decided to use an assessment program offered by a regional initiative that aims to upgrade western Michigan's workforce. Rapid-Line is one of 141 employers in the region to commit this year to using the National Career Readiness Certificate WorkKeys Innovation to assess the skills of current employees and new hires.
Spartanburg Herald Journal, Spartanburg, S.C., Sept. 2, 2007
Investment, recruitment growing at record pace: The South Carolina Department of Commerce is increasing its focus to further improve the state's workforce. In the coming months, Commerce's Workforce Division will launch a statewide initiative to further develop and coordinate the use of WorkKeys, a program that has seen success in select states where it has been implemented.
Alaska Journal of Commerce, Juneau, Alaska, Sept. 2, 2007
State builds workforce assessment program: The state of Alaska has teamed up with workforce development proponents to develop a program to help students and adults apply what they learn in school toward getting a job after graduation. Called the Work Ready/College Ready program, the effort would allow students and adult job seekers to gauge their readiness for work and college and occupational training, and to improve the basic skills valued by employers and educators. ACT will provide the assessments for the certificates through its WorkKeys program. ACT will also provide profiles of the skill levels needed to enter more than 12,000 jobs in 400 occupational areas.
The Press-Register, Mobile, Ala., June 5, 2007
Schools will give training for maritime employment: School and business officials in Mobile County say they hope a new program—the High School Maritime Apprenticeship Workshop—will give area high school seniors a head start in the maritime industry, where jobs have quickly outpaced supply. Students who want to participate have to enroll in the school system's cooperative education program and must also take the WorkKeys assessment to determine if they have the skills needed to be a maritime employee. Program graduates will take the assessment again to determine their skill level and will be issued an Alabama Career Readiness Certificate.
Midland Daily News, Midland, Mich., May 21, 2007
WorkKeys connecting employees with staff: The theory behind WorkKeys is simple: Employers want the best staff, while people want the best job. Gov. Jennifer Granholm recently required high school juniors to take WorkKeys as part of the Michigan Merit Exam. WorkKeys skill tests in 10 areas, including reading for information, applied technology, listening, and business writing. The WorkKeys system profiles the skill requirements for jobs, assesses current skills, and helps to develop programs so people can improve their skills.
The Morning Sun, Mt. Pleasant, Mich., May 21, 2007
Employers seek certified workers: A career readiness certificate is proving to be as important as a high school diploma, college degree or job experience. Some Michigan manufacturers are starting to require the WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate to show if a prospect is prepared to learn quickly, solve problems and keep up with a new challenge. Michigan recognized the benefit of having a workforce show proof of work preparedness after Indiana snagged companies like Toyota and Subaru, in spite of tax incentives Michigan offered. "Indiana is five years ahead of us," said Dennis Dunlap, the administrator of career technical education for the Gratiot-Isabella Regional Education Service District. "WorkKeys is setting the standard."
Ionia Sentinel-Standard, Ionia, Mich., May 20, 2007
Program may be "key" to employment: A testing tool for assessing an individual's ability to perform in a real-world work environment is gaining nationwide and local momentum. WorkKeys has been around for 12 years in various capacities, but now the work world is sitting up and taking notice. "The participating employers are just starting to buy in to this," said Leslie Wood of Montcalm Community College in Sidney. "In Ionia, Brown Corporation has plans to do testing for incumbent employees and the last I heard the Ionia School District was going to do it." The WorkKeys certificate program tests people with a high school diploma or equivalent in math, reading, and locating information in charts and graphs.
Journal & Courier, Lafayette, Ind., May 11, 2007
Center helps employers, job seekers make better matches: Beth Washington has had a firsthand look at WorkKeys, a customized employability skills assessment tool designed to create a better match between the needs of an employer and the skills of a potential employee. "This actually gives us a way to say, 'They need a certain amount of skills for the position profiled.' It helps us elevate the quality of the employees we hire," said Washington, manager of human relations services for Haynes International Inc. in Kokomo. "We were the first company in Howard County to start using WorkKeys. It has helped us to find quality candidates."
The Herald, Rock Hill, S.C., April 8, 2007
DOC grant to address workforce needs through York Tech: York Technical College has received a $243,986 grant from the S.C. Department of Commerce as part of the DOC's Workforce Development Program. York Tech will use the funds to identify and address workforce skills gaps in York, Lancaster and Chester counties using the WorkKeys^® system. WorkKeys matches skills employers are seeking with individuals with the skills. It involves job profiling, competency assessments and further training to bridge skills gaps.
The Tallahassee Democrat, Tallahassee, Fla., April 6, 2007
State plan a resume booster, Program could get residents hired: With the help of a new statewide initiative, getting the right skills for a job could bring some Floridians closer to being hired. State officials gathered Thursday at the Capitol to discuss the new Ready to Work Credential program that will get students and adults job-skill, assessment-based training. It was created by the Florida Department of Education and the Agency for Workforce Innovation. The state program is based on the nationally recognized ACT WorkKeys system, and focuses on divided into three categories: reading for information, applied mathematics and locating information. The program can help students who want to enter a wide range of jobs, including manufacturing.
Michigan Business Review, Lansing, Mich., April 5, 2007
Curriculum to aid entry-level adult workforce education: Pilot programs for adult basic education students are showing promise in Battle Creek, Muskegon, Grand Rapids and four other communities. Developed for the state through a national grant by Orlando, Fla.-based National Human Resources Development Inc., the programs generated enthusiasm among adult educators. The reading-based curriculum was built around the National Work Readiness Credential, an employment skills certification program launching in several other states. It is similar to the WorkKeys assessments developed by testing company ACT, Inc. in assessing reading, math and problem-solving skills, but is more focused on entry-level workers.
The Grand Rapids Press, Grand Rapids, Mich., Feb. 13, 2007
Cedar Springs: Program tests students' job skills: Cedar Springs High School students might have a better shot at getting a good job after graduation because of a program that puts their skills to the test. The Career Readiness Certificate program takes the district's guaranteed diploma a step further by requiring students to show proficiency in applied math, reading for information, and locating information. The program uses scores from WorkKeys, a testing system developed by the same company that produces the ACT college admissions exam.
Business Review, Grand Rapids, Mich. Jan. 25, 2007
Finding tomorrow's leaders today: Mass hirings are a thing of the past. Jobs come today maybe in the fives and 10s. "You can't make a bad hire in that type of situation," Axios Inc. CEO Dan Barcheski observed. So Barcheski's fast-growing Grand Rapids-based human resources services company will help pilot a worker assessment and certification program backers hope to apply across western Michigan. A workforce development program centered on standardized testing company ACT Inc.'s WorkKeys products is hoped to be used to assess 50,000 workers throughout the region in the next five years.
The Casper Star Tribune, Casper, Wyo., Jan. 17, 2007
Tests will be free to juniors: Students who are juniors in the Natrona County school district will receive vouchers this week that will allow them to take the ACT^® or WorkKeys^® exam for free. The state of Wyoming is paying for all students, starting with this year's juniors, to have an opportunity to take their choice of the two tests. Both the ACT and WorkKeys exams can be used to qualify for Wyoming's Hathaway Scholarship. State lawmakers decided the state should pay for the test so all students will have an opportunity to apply for the scholarship. Students who want to take either of the tests more than once will have to pay for repeat tests on their own.
The Lincoln Tribune, Lincolnton, N.C., Jan. 8 2007
Gaston College offers free WorkKeys certification for first 100 students: Gaston College is offering a workforce development resource that helps businesses boost the skills of employees and helps individuals discover the training they need to perform successfully in their jobs. The North Carolina Career Readiness Certification is centered on the WorkKeys system, which tells workers and employers the skill levels needed to function at full potential. The testing fee to obtain Career Readiness Certification is $30 per individual, but as part of a statewide kick-off, Gaston College will provide free testing to the first 100 students.
The Post Standard, Syracuse, N.Y., Jan. 7, 2007
Finding tomorrow's leaders today: A national survey by management consultants RHR International reports that companies expect at least half of their senior leaders to retire by 2010. That's not surprising, considering the leading edge of the 76 million baby boom generation has hit age 60 and their retirement is looming. As developing leaders take on more importance, more local companies are sending potential leaders to workshops or holding classes inhouse. Others, such as Suburban Propane, use WorkKeys to determine the skills its managers have, and what they need to improve, said Mickey Lord, the company's director of organization development.