The Stanislaus Business Alliance is helping local companies by connecting them with employees that are not only qualified for positions, but likely to do well in unique environments, through their WorkKeys Program.

WorkKeys is a job skills assessment program that measures the skills an employee needs to be successful in a particular job, removing the guesswork for employers.

"One of the things we need to build in Stanislaus County is a skilled workforce," said Dave White, chief executive officer of the Stanislaus Business Alliance. "The WorkKeys program takes the guesswork out of it for employers. They can cut down on hiring costs because they are provided with a more targeted method for finding employees who possess the basic skills to be successful on the job."

WorkKeys has been around for the last decade, but it now has a new team at the helm. Terry Barnhart and Teresa Williams are licensed work profile consultants who help companies find employees with the skill set necessary for specific jobs.  Barnhart and Williams are certified by ACT, the same organization famous for the ACT college admissions test.

The WorkKeys process allows employers to have a tool to measure skills and knowledge for job success.

"What we do is targeted toward companies who need skilled people," Barnhart said. "We're talking about skills such as basic reasoning, reading, applied mathematics, and workplace observation."

"A lot of times, employers will hire based on a resume that says an employee has a high school diploma or a GED," Barnhart continued. "But they don't really know what they're getting — in terms of what the person's skill level is — until after that employee has been on the job for a while. It's not until some time has passed that they realize the employee needs more advanced skills."

To participate in WorkKeys, an employer must first identify a job that needs to be profiled. The most important tasks of the job are identified, and then the associated WorkKeys assessments are determined. Twelve different assessments cover job skills like business writing, applied math, applied technology, and locating information.

When the employer identifies a potential candidate for the job, he or she then takes the appropriate job skills assessments through the SBA. The assessments are scored and the results are reported.  The employer then matches the scores with the job profile to determine a candidate's readiness for the job.  This saves the employer both time and money — as much as 20 percent per employee.

For more information about the Alliance WorkKeys program, call Kim Whitcomb at 567-4985 or email whitcomk@stanalliance.com.