Why is it important?

Employers have created vast numbers of jobs requiring higher skill levels than in the past, and are having an increasingly difficult time finding qualified employees.  The study Ready for College and Ready for Work: Same or Different? demonstrates that, whether planning to enter college or workforce training programs after graduation, secondary students need to be educated to a comparable level of readiness in reading and mathematics. The same level is required both to succeed in college-level courses without remediation, and to enter workforce training programs ready to learn job-specific skills.

There is a growing trend across the country for employers, state agencies, and education to work more closely together to improve the supply of qualified employees. WorkKeys is a key component of this trend. WorkKeys Job Profiles have been completed for thousands of jobs and occupations, and several million assessments have been administered.

If a degree is enough, why do we spend so much money on training?
 

Benefits for Employers
WorkKeys is proven compliant with ADA and EEOC for hiring and advancement practices.  WorkKeys also focuses on skills needed to observe workplace compliance and best practices. Example results from case studies are: 
 
  • Scrap rate reduced 21 percent.
  • Turnover reduced up to 84 percent.
  • Overtime reduced up to 95 percent.
  • Training time reduced up to 66 percent.
  • Turnover for cause reduced 73 percent.
  • Service returns reduced up to 20 percent.
  • Hundreds of thousands of dollars saved through improved operational efficiency.
  • Defective parts per million dropped from 18,000 per month to 1,500—a 90 percent decrease.
     
 WorkKeys also can help employers:
  • Increase employee morale and job satisfaction.
  • Define training needs specific to your company.
  • Improve staff hiring and advancement processes.
  • Develop accurate, detailed position descriptions
    including critical tasks and skill levels.
     

Benefits for Communities:

  • Decrease unemployment rates
  • Encourage businesses to locate in the community
  • Increase the tax base through more profitable business partners
     
Benefits for Individuals:  
  • Determine skill improvement and training needs
  • Build confidence that skills meet the needs of employers
  • Improve opportunities for career changes and advancement
  • WorkKeys assessment scores are recognized credentials for resumes
     
  
Benefits for Educators:  
  • Develop more efficient teaching strategies
  • Increase probability that graduates will be hired
  • Align curricula to meet the job skills employers need
  • Encourage parent involvement in students’ academic efforts
  • Improve students’ success in entry-level and subsequent jobs
  • Enable students to see a reason to take coursework seriously
  • Help instructors identify gaps between student skills and employment needs