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Phillips Staffing Completes WorkKeys for Itron, Inc for Employee Retention, Development and Screening

Submitted by: Holly Rollins on Jun 28, 2011 at 1:48 pm Tagged with: Employee Training and Support, workforce and industry, workkeys Source: Phillips Staffing

Phillips Staffing recently completed WorkKeys Profiles, a job skills assessment tool that measures real-world skills, for all hourly positions at Itron, Inc. in West Union, SC. WorkKeys is a well-established and recognized international assessment system. With the ever-changing technology at Itron, the company knew they needed positions profiled in order for existing and future employees’ skills to meet their workplace needs.

Phillips’ Workforce Readiness Director, Beverly Deal, profiled most of the hourly positions at the West Union facility. The profiles determine the reading, math, locating information and observation skills needed to be successful on the job. When job openings are posted, employees must have the required skills for the position profile to apply. Employees will have the option to receive additional training in order to apply for positions. “Researching and documenting information on all hourly positions is vital for Itron when planning staff development needs,” said Deal.

“Itron believes WorkKeys is a valuable tool not only for our employees, but also in workforce development and employment,” said Itron’s Human Resources Manager, Sue Gray. “Hourly positions are among the hardest to hire. We know their work history and that they have manufacturing experience, but we needed to know whether they have the skill sets to perform the jobs at our plant. The WorkKeys program has now given us that knowledge. The Phillips Staffing employees working onsite are aware that we require WorkKey’s certificates as part of the hiring process and have chosen to show their skills by taking the assessments.”

Ed Parris, President of Phillips Staffing said, “Phillips Staffing is committed to supplying our clients with highly qualified candidates and we recognize that WorkKeys is a valuable screening tool.”

Phillips Staffing, a division of S.B. Phillips Company, Inc., is a 43 year-old full-service, Greenville-based employment company with 12 offices in the Southeast.