Keying into work
New program helps employees improve their workplace skills
Archived article from Oct 8, 1999
By Douglas Frank
As a locksmith at the Busch-Livingston campus, George Weickert used the computer routinely in his job to check customers' ID numbers or to see if room fees were paid, but he never really knew a lot about it.
That is, until he took a course last spring in locating information, which is one of several offered to employees through the Work Keys program conducted by the Facilities Department. As a result, Weickert significantly broadened his computer expertise.
Weickert is one of 128 facilities employees, including grounds workers, clerical personnel and engineers, who have already taken classes to improve their job-related skills, said Carol Trexler, facilities personnel and training administrator. "We expect 500 to 600 employees to take part in this program," she added.
Trexler brought the program to Rutgers a year and a half ago after hearing about it at a conference from Bill Weightman, supervisor of testing at the N.J. Department of Labor (DOL). American College Testing (ACT) created the assessment program, which is run in New Jersey under contract with the DOL. Along with Rutgers, several corporations in the state are using the program.
Work Keys began with profiling of positions by DOL representatives, who sat down with Rutgers workers and developed a detailed analysis of entry-level skills and performance-level skills for a given position. Skills might include reading for information, locating information, applied technology, applied math, teamwork and observation. Some 17 facilities positions have now been profiled.
Employees then undergo mandatory assessment of their essential workplace skills. Employees are the only ones to get the results of this assessment and, after analyzing the results themselves, can opt to take courses for improvement. Both the tests and courses are conducted during regular working hours.
Weickert said he never felt threatened by the testing. "It's for you to help you figure out what you know and what you don't know," he observed. After his assessment, Weickert received his results in the mail and was able to pick a course that suited his needs -- locating information.
All courses are taught in a 16-station computer room, and some computer training is built into each class. Prior computer experience is not necessary.
Weickert, who has worked at Rutgers for two and a half years, feels Work Keys is a worthwhile program. "The class was great. I used computers a little, but never knew how to download information on disks, for instance. After the course, I had learned how to save information. From that I went on to learn a lot more."
Trexler says the program is not a ladder-climbing aid per se, but is designed to allow employees to realize their full potential through testing and then computer-aided course work to raise their skill levels.
Assisting in the program are Marie Miller, employment test technician, and Cynthia Henry, employee training specialist in the DOL, who work on profiling and assessments; Jill Koerner, personnel and training coordinator, who manages curriculum design and program development; and Suzanne Rackham, who teaches the classes.
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