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michelemartin — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 12:39:56 CDT

Welcome to the GSETA Comprehensive Assessment Systems Training Site

I've created this site to supplement the training on Comprehensive Assessment conducted by The Widing Group for the Garden State Employment and Training Association in March 2007.

I hope you enjoyed our training. Here you will find notes from both of our sessions, along with some additional resources. I encourage you to check out the notes from both the Southern and North/Central regions, as the group learning wasn't exactly the same and I think each group can learn from what the other group explored. The North Central Group focused on Top 10 Tips for staff, while the Southern Region has a list of ways you can change your personal practice of assessment with customers.

If you have questions or need more information, contact me at mmartin@widinggroup.com

Michele Martin
The Widing Group

North Central--March 21, 2007

michelemartin — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 12:38:09 CDT

Notes and Resources From March 21 Training

Below is the Top 10 List that was developed in the workshop, along with my Bonus Tips. You'll also find some links to activities like the Pride Experience Exercise. At the bottom of the page (scroll all the way to the bottom) I've also added some attachments of group activities that I've used successfully with customers, including the "Here's Your Career" lesson plan and some other resources.

Be sure to check out the notes from the March 22 class. They have some ideas and information that you didn't get and vice versa.

Your Top Ten List of Assessment Tips for One-Stop Staff

1. Assessment is a tool for customers first. The focus should be on ensuring that they have the information they need to make informed career choices.

2. Remember to customize the assessment process, be flexible in using tools and processes and use your creativity to help customers get the information they need.

3. Your system should be oriented toward helping customers develop career plans, as opposed to helping them make service decisions like "should I go to training?"

4. You need professional, certified counselors to work with customers.

5. The ways in which we interact with staff should support customer empowerment.
6. We need to help customers establish action plans and time frames.

7. We should clarify the roles of the counselor and the customer in the assessment process.

8. .We need to explain assessment and the career planning process without jargon.

9. Be positive--engage the customer in the assessment process so that it's not something done TO the customer or FOR the customer.

10. Ensure that everyone throughout the One-Stop Career Center has appropriate active listening skills and that they use those skills with customers.

Michele's Bonus Tips

1. Every customer who comes through the One-Stop Career Center should have the opportunity to assess what they WANT to do (interests, work values, skills they want to use or develop) and what they CAN do (occupational, transferable and literacy skills, potential barriers to success). The strategies and tools for assessing these areas may differ for different customers, but everyone should be encouraged and provided with the opportunity to assess these areas.

2. The results of assessment should drive the delivery of services, not the other way around. We need to find out first what the customer needs and then look at what is available to meet that need.

3. Use a range of tools and strategies. Use self-directed and group activities with customers who need less assistance and use group and one-on-one for people who may need more assistance. Try to avoid over-reliance on one-on-one staff interviews as the primary means of assessment.

4. Focus on using assessment to create a career plan, not on using it to assess eligibility and suitability for services.

5. Focus first on assessing what customers want to do and their strengths and assets. Only begin assessing the barrier areas once the customer has first had the chance to form a career vision.

6. Remember that the customer owns the assessment information and that we should ensuring they have the assessment information they need to make informed choices.

Group and Individual Activities

Be sure to check out the attachments at the bottom of this page, too.

The Pride Experience Activity (can be done individually or in groups)

The Party Game (group activity for identifying Holland Code interests. For more on the Holland Code, see the Tools and Resources Page of this site.)

Southern Region--March 22, 2007

michelemartin — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 12:37:49 CDT

Notes and Resources

This page contains notes and resources from our Training session. Below is your Top 10 list of things you could do differently in your job. Scroll down for a copy of the PowerPoint with the addition of some of your ideas. I also made electronic versions of a few of the charts/graphics I drew on flip charts for you.

Please be sure to check out the materials for the other class, too. There are sample activities that you could use with customers and their PowerPoint is slightly different because they had different notes on what makes for a "good" assessment process.

Top 10 List Of Things to Do Differently At Work For Assessment

1. Look at ways to make Orientation easier and more understandable for customers.

2. Use language that customers understand (no jargon, focus on career planning).

3. Communicate about what it takes to prepare for any assessments, such as the TABE.

4. Ensure that there is a consistent message about assessment processes and information.

5. Communicate with supervisors about what you've learned and recommendations for improvement.

6. Ensure that you enter all assessment information into the computer system so that other staff have a complete understanding of what's been gathered.

7. Respect all customers.

8. Be positive with customers.

9. Explain the impact of the TABE on customer's options.

10. Have an organized list of information and a checklist of steps at your desk to share with customers.

Your Bonus List (the items that didn't make the Top 10)

11. Stop periodically and ask if the customer has questions about what's being explained.

12. Improve case load management skills to make time for assessment activities.

13. Ensure that there are regular communications with counselors (memos, meetings) to update on changes.

14. Create an interactive activity for customers to be used during Orientation.

15. Re-arrange office furniture so that customer is next to you, rather than across the desk.

16. Take customer to an office and introduce them to others, rather than just sending them to another department.

17. Give more compliments and encouragement to customers.

18. Have fewer discussions about own personal business in office, especially around customers.

19. Improve staff punctuality to appointments.

20. Better utilize the survey information collected during the Job Search class.

21. Research possibility of conducting group orientations, including checking with other counties.

Some Assessment Tools and Resources

michelemartin — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 11:07:43 CDT

America's CareerInfonet

The Employability Check-Up
Helps customers assess how marketable they are based on type of work they want, their educational level, salary requirements, and location.

The Skills Profiler
This online tool uses the O*NET transferable skills and occupational tasks to help customers identify skills and match to jobs. It can also be useful in putting together a skills-based resume.

The Financial Aid Advisor
This tool helps customers determine if they are eligible for federal financial aid before they actually complete a financial aid application. Useful to use in planning for the possibility of further education.

Assessing Interests

Holland's Theory of Career Choice

Career Voyages Assessment--a quick Holland code assessment

The OSCAR Interest Profiler--a longer and generally more accurate Holland code assessment option. Tied to occupational information from Texas, but still useful.

Assessing Values

Prioritizing Life Values Inventory--Allows you to rank order 20 pre-set values. You may also add and rank additional values.

Assessing Skills

Assessing Transferable Skills

SkillCheck Assessment Demo

Other Assessment Resources

Career Assessment Dos and Don'ts

Six Rules of Career Assessment from the Job Hunter's Bible

Online Career Assessments from the Job Hunter's Bible

The Employer's Guide to Assessment

Assessments for Career Counseling

Assessing and Addressing Barriers to Employment

Behavioral Interviewing

Free Personality Assessments