For some time now, officials with the Golden Triangle Development LINK have been stressing the importance of making sure our schools prepare students for the 21st century workplace.
In years past, students who had no aspirations of a college education, simply took their high school diploma and a strong back to the nearest factory and got a job.
Today, however, those factory jobs are reserved for workers who have the skills and training required for highly technical work.
One of the first steps toward making sure those non-college bound students are sufficiently prepared for the modern workplace is taking the WorkKeys Test. In many respects, WorkKeys is to factory work what the ACT has long been to higher education. The ACT test was developed to assess a high school student’s readiness for college and eventually became an admission prerequisite at many schools. Likewise, WorkKeys assesses the student’s preparedness for our factory/industrial jobs. Much as it was for the ACT, WorkKeys has become a prerequisite for employment.
Over the past week, LINK officials have appeared before the school boards in Lowndes County and Columbus to announce that the LINK will offer WorkKeys testing for every high school junior and senior and will pay for half of the cost of the test. The LINK will provide the same opportunities for students in each of the school districts in the Golden Triangle, providing $5,000 for the tests. Normally, the cost of the test is $100. The tests provided at the schools will cost half of that, thanks to EMCC which has agreed to administer the test free of charge. Under this program, the student will pay only $25 for a test that would normally cost four times that much.
We applaud the LINK and EMCC for taking an active role in preparing our students for the new reality of the workplace. Successful performance of the WorkKeys test is, of course, just the first step. After that, those who plan to seek employment at any of our major industries will need further workforce training, either through the excellent training opportunities being provided at EMCC or at other technical/trade schools.
Now that the LINK has made this opportunity available at a greatly reduced price, it is imperative that school officials — teachers, guidance counselors, principals and staff — work hard to make sure students understand the importance of the WorkKeys test.
Just as students who plan to attend college understand the importance of the ACT, those who aspire to the jobs provided by our local industry should recognize the importance of the WorkKeys test and prepare accordingly. Each school will have resources that will help students prepare for taking the WorkKeys test.
Clearly, the opportunity provided by the LINK and EMCC will only produce good results if students grasp its importance.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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