Centers To Certify Workers' Potential

LAND O' LAKES - The Pasco County School District's adult education department has opened two assessment sites that will help employers determine whether job applicants have the skills they want.

Marchman Technical Education Center in New Port Richey and Moore-Mickens Education Center in Dade City have been designated as Ready to Work assessment sites by the Florida Department of Education.

Participants in the Ready to Work Credential Program are assessed to determine how well they stack up when it comes to skills needed in the workplace.

If they perform well enough on the free assessments, they receive a certificate signed by Gov. Charlie Crist that tells potential employers they have what it takes to succeed on the job.

"We're hoping what will happen when the marketing campaign kicks off in the state is that more and more employers will encourage their applicants to get the credentials," said Carolyn Allen, supervisor of adult and community education for the school district.

The district is starting the pilot program in its adult career centers at Marchman and Moore-Mickens, the hubs for adult education in the county.

Allen said the assessment also is being made available to 16- and 17-year-old students in the district's underage GED program offered at Hudson, Pasco, Wesley Chapel and Mitchell high schools.

Florida's goal, she said, is for every high school to offer the credential.

"The state has put a lot of money in this - $17 million," Allen said. "It's a big initiative."

According to the Florida Ready to Work Web site, this is how the program works:

•The student or job seeker signs up to participate at an assessment center and takes a pre-instructional assessment to determine skill mastery level.

•The participant then can sign up for free, self-paced tutorial course work to improve skills.

• The person takes online tests in three skill areas - applied mathematics, reading for information and locating information - that employers have said are key to success on the job.

•Those who perform well receive a certificate they can provide to employers to show they have skills that would make them successful.

Depending on how well they do, they earn a gold, silver or bronze certificate.

"You can take it as many times as you want if your goal is to get the gold certificate," Allen said.

Those who fall short can take more online tutoring to improve their skills before being tested again.