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Navigating the Way Ahead

Four instructors won GPS units, courtesy of the Work Force Ready System, during the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City, Jun 23-27. These instructors were among the more than 600 instructors, administrators and business people who visited the Work Force Ready System team booths for live demonstrations and other information about these innovative assessments. Skill Connect Assessments are industry-driven assessments for the next generation. They are the way ahead for students to prove skills and knowledge to employers, and for instructors demonstrate the value of their programs. The assessments support programs as pre-assessments, end-of-program evaluation, or to prepare for industry certification (on-ramp).

Field Testing in Progress!

Field testing for the first seven Skill Connect Assessments will wrap up this fall and we’ll begin field testing of a new group of assessments.  SkillsUSA is collaborating with a team of four psychometricians with backgrounds in technical and occupations studies -- and conducting extensive field tests -- to ensure reliability of each assessment. We want to be sure you will have confidence that each assessment consistently measures students' abilities.

If you’re interested in having a sneak peek at future assessments as a field test site, visit us online.  Instructors leading each field test site will be prepared through webinars and other resources, and be on the leading edge of ensuring students have the tools they need to prove their abilities to employers.

Here are the assessments that we’ll continue in the fall:

  • Advertising Design
  • Automated Manufacturing Technology
  • Aviation Maintenance Technology
  • Commercial Baking
  • Cosmetology
  • Culinary Arts
  • Internetworking
  • Major Appliance Technology
  • Motorcycle Service Technology
  • Nail Care
  • Photography
  • Power Equipment Technology
  • Robotics and Automation
  • Welding
  • Employability

Click here to view a comprehensive list of our Skill Connect Assessments.

Kellogg Foundation, Pilot Sites and Advisory Committee Convene

Representatives from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and four of the six Champions for Change pilot sites met with the Technical Advisory Committee in Kansas City on Wednesday, June 25. The reviewed the project's progress, including a demonstration of sample assessment questions in the Work Force Ready System. Each pilot site also shared insight into its programs and plans to implement the grant.

The next meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee will be in Washington, DC, on October 7. These meetings are a time for industry, education and policy leaders to provide guidance in the development and implementation of the project.

Upcoming Events

July 15-17: Workforce Innovations 2008 conference

September: Field testing begins for next set of assessments

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“The assessment process itself was excellent; the test was easy and intuitive to navigate. Well done!”

- Greg Beachey
Elkhart Area Career Center, IN
Field test site, spring 2008


- Tim Lawrence, SkillsUSA Executive Director

Each year at the National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City, I am amazed by the talent and energy of our students. This year was certainly no exception as I walked the aisles of the Championship floor among 5,000 top-notch contestants in 91 separate events.

This year, I was more excited than ever, knowing that we now have a system that will allow us to spread the benefits of the Championships far beyond the 5,000 students who compete in Kansas City. The Work Force Ready System extends the Championships philosophy of rewarding students for excellence, involving industry directly in evaluating student performance and to keep training relevant to employers' needs.

Momentum is growing, and we invite you to join us in the journey. Our Work Force Ready System paves the way ahead for students, instructors and CTE programs. We've already heard from an advisor in Arizona that the Skill Point Certificate his student earned last year helped him get a job. We are confident that this is just the beginning of the success stories we'll hear through the Work Force Ready System, and we are excited to celebrate your successes with you.