Skills Assessment

The NRTC can assist with overall training plan development and assessment of current employees or potential new employees using ACT work keys and MSSC assessments. Please visit our related links for more information on Work Keys or MSSC.

When additions to your workforce are required, we can work in your local area to develop a pool of potential employees, screen the group to a prerequisite skill level, and train and certify the remaining group. Knowledge level at each milestone in either basic skills or manufacturing skills is certified through appropriate skills testing.

Work Keys

Job profiles can also be developed for current positions within a company. The profiling procedure is designed to systematically develop accurate profiles through a task analysis that is used to select the tasks most critical to a job, and a skill analysis that is used to identify the skills and skill levels required at the entry level and for effective performance on that job. The WorkKeys system employs the content validation strategy to show the WorkKeys assessments reflect the content of the job. This allows employers, regardless of their size, to establish legally defensible validity evidence.  First, WorkKeys test items are developed from samples of a variety of work situations so items on the assessment reflect situations that might be found on the job.  Next, the job profiling process establishes a link between tasks performed on the job, the WorkKeys skills needed to perform the tasks, and the skills and skill levels measured with the WorkKeys assessments.

During job profiling, groups of subject matter experts (SME) are convened to describe the tasks performed on the job and the skills required for completing the tasks. SME’s are knowledgeable about the job and are representative of the job incumbents. Using definitions and sample items that match the specifications of the assessment, they then match the levels of skill needed for the job with the levels of skill measured by the WorkKeys assessments.

In order to establish a legally defensible employment selection system, as described by the Guidelines, employers must conduct a job analysis to establish both critical work behaviors and the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for fulfilling these work behaviors.  The WorkKeys job profiling procedure was developed to meet this requirement by determining the critical tasks of a job based on Importance and Relative Time Spent ratings and their skill requirements.  This is an essential component of the WorkKeys system.

Current skills assessment will help target the application of training programs and the use of transitional training to increase the skill level of an employee to the level necessary to excel in targeted training programs.

Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC)

MSSC offers assessment and training in four key manufacturing areas: safety, quality practices and measurement, production processes and maintenance awareness. Comprehensive courses, certified instructors and excellent reference material combine to develop or enhance the skills of new students or incumbent workers. These courses are offered in both instructor led and on-line, computer based simulations.

MSSC delivers its curriculum through three types of courses to meet various individual and training needs.  These courses are designed to help individuals enhance their core knowledge and skills for work at the mid-technical production level and to be successful in passing the MSSC Assessments needed for certification.  These courses are built upon MSSC’s baseline “Integrated Course,” which is the most comprehensive and efficient course for covering all the materials in Glencoe McGraw-Hill/MSSC textbooks, MSSC’s computer-based simulation training, the topic areas addressed in the MSSC Assessments, and other knowledge and skills needed for mid-technical level production workers to be successful in an advanced, high-performance manufacturing environment.