The WorkKeys job skill assessment system was created in the late 1980s by ACT, Inc.—the nonprofit company responsible for the ACT test. Businesses use WorkKeys to measure workplace skills of employees and job applicants. Schools and colleges also use WorkKeys to prepare students for the workplace.
Some WorkKeys exams are also available in the United States in English, Spanish, and Braille. The tests are also used overseas in a product branded as “English WorkKeys” to help people who speak Spanish, Italian, and French as their primary language develop English proficiency.
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