WorkKeys
Encyclopedia
WorkKeys is a job skill
assessment
system used in the United States. It was created in the late 1980s by ACT, Inc. It is used by businesses to measure workplace skills of employees and job applicants and by schools and college
s to help prepare students for the workplace.
Employers use job analysis to determine which skills are required for a job, and the level of each skill needed to perform the job successfully. This helps employees determine the standards for how an applicant must score in a particular WorkKeys skill assessment in order to be qualified for the job.
In the job profiling process, ACT-licensed profilers visit with the client company or organization and determine background information on the job to be profiled and how specifically the job relates to the company. The profiler tours the company and collects materials – such as training manuals, annual reports, company newsletters – that define the company.
The profiler then compiles an initial list of the tasks most relevant to the job being profiled. Subject matter experts – those who know the job best through incumbency or supervising the job – refine the list and rate each task based on two factors: importance of the task to the job and relative time spent on it. The subject matter experts then decide what minimum level of each skill is required to perform the job successfully.
When taking a WorkKeys test, the skill level at which an employee scores corresponds to how prepared he or she is for the job, or how much remedial training an incumbent employee needs.
WorkKeys also offers two job analysis products that can be used without the help of a job profiler. SkillMap, an online service which links job tasks to the skill levels of WorkKeys assessments, is used primarily to identify employees’ training needs. WorkKeys Estimator is a paper-and-pencil system that gives quick estimates of the WorkKeys skill levels needed for a job.
and Braille
versions in addition to the standard English
.
Illinois
and Michigan
have made WorkKeys exams part of their state high school graduation
requirements. Starting in 2001, two WorkKeys tests, Applied Mathematics and Reading for Information, became part of the Prairie State Achievement Examination
for all 11th graders in Illinois, along with the ACT test. In 2007, the Michigan Department of Education
made the WorkKeys Reading for Information and Applied Mathematics exams a part of its Michigan Merit Exam
, a mandatory exam for 11th graders that also includes the ACT test.
As of 2006, 14 states were participating in the National Career Readiness System and using WorkKeys as part of that participation. Many states use WorkKeys scores in their economic development initiatives, to demonstrate to business relocation prospects that their residents possess high job skills. These state initiatives include skill credentialing programs that are affiliated with the National Career Readiness Certificate. According to ACT, 38 states were participating in the program as of 2011. The state of Kentucky
issues a Kentucky Employability Certificate to adult education
participants based on their performance on three WorkKeys assessments: Reading for Information, Applied Math, and Locating Information. North Carolina
issues a North Carolina Career Readiness Certificate on the basis of scores on the same three WorkKeys components.
The South Carolina Department of Education requires some career education teachers to validate their competency in basic skills by obtaining specified minimum scores on the WorkKeys assessments of Reading for Information, Applied Mathematics, and Writing.
Skill
A skill is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills...
assessment
Assessment
Educational assessment is the process of documenting, usually in measurable terms, knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs. Assessment can focus on the individual learner, the learning community , the institution, or the educational system as a whole...
system used in the United States. It was created in the late 1980s by ACT, Inc. It is used by businesses to measure workplace skills of employees and job applicants and by schools and college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s to help prepare students for the workplace.
Description
WorkKeys consists of three elements:- Job skill assessments, which are designed to measure foundational and personal skills as they apply to the workplace
- Job analysis, which pinpoints or estimates skill benchmarks for specific job positions that individuals must meet through testing
- Skill training, which helps individuals boost their scores
Skill assessments
WorkKeys includes twelve workplace skill assessments:- Applied Mathematics – applying mathematical reasoning to work-related problems
- Applied Technology – understanding technical principles as they apply to the workplace
- Business Writing – composing clear, well-developed messages relating to on-the-job situations
- Listening – being able to listen to and understand work-related messages
- Locating Information – using information from sources such as diagrams, floor planFloor planIn architecture and building engineering, a floor plan, or floorplan, is a diagram, usually to scale, showing a view from above of the relationships between rooms, spaces and other physical features at one level of a structure....
s, tables, forms, graphsChartA chart is a graphical representation of data, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart"...
, and charts - Workplace Observation – paying attention to details in instructions and demonstrations
- Reading for Information – comprehending work-related reading materials such as memos, bulletins, policy manuals, and governmental regulations
- Teamwork – choosing behavior that furthers workplace relationships and accomplishes work tasks
- Writing - measures the skills individuals use when they write messages that relay workplace information between people
- Performance – related to attitudes toward work and the person’s tendency to engage in unsafe work behaviors
- Talent – includes dependability, assertiveness, and emotional stability
- Fit – how interests and values correspond to a particular career
Job analysis
The job analysis component of WorkKeys helps to set benchmarks that correspond with WorkKeys scores, giving the examinee a target score to hit in order to qualify for a job.Employers use job analysis to determine which skills are required for a job, and the level of each skill needed to perform the job successfully. This helps employees determine the standards for how an applicant must score in a particular WorkKeys skill assessment in order to be qualified for the job.
In the job profiling process, ACT-licensed profilers visit with the client company or organization and determine background information on the job to be profiled and how specifically the job relates to the company. The profiler tours the company and collects materials – such as training manuals, annual reports, company newsletters – that define the company.
The profiler then compiles an initial list of the tasks most relevant to the job being profiled. Subject matter experts – those who know the job best through incumbency or supervising the job – refine the list and rate each task based on two factors: importance of the task to the job and relative time spent on it. The subject matter experts then decide what minimum level of each skill is required to perform the job successfully.
When taking a WorkKeys test, the skill level at which an employee scores corresponds to how prepared he or she is for the job, or how much remedial training an incumbent employee needs.
WorkKeys also offers two job analysis products that can be used without the help of a job profiler. SkillMap, an online service which links job tasks to the skill levels of WorkKeys assessments, is used primarily to identify employees’ training needs. WorkKeys Estimator is a paper-and-pencil system that gives quick estimates of the WorkKeys skill levels needed for a job.
Skill training
The WorkKeys system also includes computer-based and classroom-based training for individuals that corresponds with WorkKeys exams. There are curricula available for every skill level of each WorkKeys foundational skill exam.Alternative versions
Some WorkKeys exams are available in SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
versions in addition to the standard English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
National Career Readiness System
WorkKeys exams are the foundation of the National Career Readiness System, a job skills credentialing system. People can earn a National Career Readiness Certificates by taking three WorkKeys exams: Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, and Reading for Information exams. They are awarded certificates of Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze levels, depending on their test scores. ACT estimates that people scoring at the Bronze level qualify for approximately 35% of the jobs profiled by WorkKeys. A Silver score indicates skills for approximately 65% of those jobs profiled, and a Gold indicates skills for 90% of the jobs.Statewide and community adoptions
Several states, communities, and cities have adopted WorkKeys as part of their economic development or educational initiatives.Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
have made WorkKeys exams part of their state high school graduation
High school diploma
A high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. In the United States and Canada, it is considered the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education. An equivalent is the GED.-Past diploma styles:...
requirements. Starting in 2001, two WorkKeys tests, Applied Mathematics and Reading for Information, became part of the Prairie State Achievement Examination
Prairie State Achievement Examination
The Prairie State Achievement Examination is a two-day standardized test taken by all High School Juniors in the U.S. state of Illinois. On the first day, students take the ACT, and on the second day, a WorkKeys examination and Illinois State Board of Education-developed science examination....
for all 11th graders in Illinois, along with the ACT test. In 2007, the Michigan Department of Education
Michigan Department of Education
Michigan Department of Education is a state agency of Michigan, in the United States. MDE oversees public school districts in the state. The agency is headquartered at 608 West Allegan Street in Lansing. The Department of Education is overseen by the State Board of Education. The Board of...
made the WorkKeys Reading for Information and Applied Mathematics exams a part of its Michigan Merit Exam
Michigan Merit Exam
The Michigan Merit Exam is a replacement for the Michigan Educational Assessment Program test, a minimum-competency test for high school students. It was optional for class of 2007 but was required for the class of 2008 and beyond...
, a mandatory exam for 11th graders that also includes the ACT test.
As of 2006, 14 states were participating in the National Career Readiness System and using WorkKeys as part of that participation. Many states use WorkKeys scores in their economic development initiatives, to demonstrate to business relocation prospects that their residents possess high job skills. These state initiatives include skill credentialing programs that are affiliated with the National Career Readiness Certificate. According to ACT, 38 states were participating in the program as of 2011. The state of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
issues a Kentucky Employability Certificate to adult education
Adult education
Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. Adult education takes place in the workplace, through 'extension' school or 'school of continuing education' . Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers...
participants based on their performance on three WorkKeys assessments: Reading for Information, Applied Math, and Locating Information. North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
issues a North Carolina Career Readiness Certificate on the basis of scores on the same three WorkKeys components.
The South Carolina Department of Education requires some career education teachers to validate their competency in basic skills by obtaining specified minimum scores on the WorkKeys assessments of Reading for Information, Applied Mathematics, and Writing.
Use by employers
WorkKeys is used by many business organizations. Companies that have required some or all job applicants to submit WorkKeys scores include:- CME Automotive
- Dow CorningDow CorningDow Corning is a multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, USA. Dow Corning specializes in silicon and silicone-based technology, offering more than 7,000 products and services...
- Eastman Chemical
- Hemlock Semiconductor
- Northrup Grumman Ship Systems
See also
- High school graduation examination in the United States
- School-to-work transitionSchool-to-work transitionSchool-to-work transition is a phrase referring to on-the-job training, apprenticeships, cooperative education agreements or other programs designed to prepare students to enter the job market...