SkillsUSA Releases Industry-Driven, Technical Online Welding Assessments
SkillsUSA (Leesburg, VA) announced the introduction of a new online, technical assessment to help candidates prove entry-level welding proficiency.
“Our Skill Connect Assessments align with education and industry standards to provide employers a trusted evaluation of entry-level technical skills,? said Tim Lawrence, SkillsUSA Executive Director. ?Our goal is to lift up students and those outside of traditional education programs as they contribute to our future work force.?
The Welding Skill Connect Assessment evaluates entry-level knowledge and skills in flux cored arc welding, gas tungsten arc welding, oxy fuel cutting, and shielded metal arc welding through interactive questions with media-rich content. Videos and animations enable a more accurate evaluation of practical knowledge than text-only assessments. These assessments are hosted on the patented LearnMate system, which enables real-time, dynamic reporting available to instructors and administrators. SkillsUSA also created an employability assessment to evaluate soft skills.
“We?ve sought input from more than 3,000 instructors, state directors of education, and industry partners nationwide,? Lawrence said. ?Not only has their feedback guided the development of Skill Connect Assessments, but it has also been valuable in determining how to make the system user-friendly and beneficial for students, instructors, and potential employers.?
Industry experts who participated in the development of the Welding Skill Connect Assessment came from the following organizations: Alabama Power, American Technical Publishers, Inc., American Welding Society, Butler Gas Products, Emmert Welding & Manufacturing Company, Honeywell, Hobart Brothers, Lincoln Electric, Linweld, Miller, Salt River Project, Smith Equipment, Harris, Welding Consultant LLC, and Welding Education and Consulting. This Skill Connect Assessment can be used as an onramp to the AWS industry certification.
All assessments align with Perkins IV accountability measures, as issued by the U.S. Department of Education. Additionally, each assessment was developed with industry and education leaders working together to identify the appropriate criterion and testing methodology. Once developed, assessments were evaluated by psychometricians for reliability in comparison to field test data before becoming available for purchase.
Assessments are available today, costing only $5 for SkillsUSA members or $20 per assessment for nonmembers. Each Skill Connect Assessment consists of approximately 50 items and takes an estimated 60 minutes to complete. Items are delivered randomly from an item bank, as are the possible answers to each question according to the assessment blueprint defined. To purchase assessments or for a complete list of all technical assessments and their expected availability, visit www.workforcereadysystem.org.
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