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• Do you have to raise awareness of how many tasks involve basic skills?
• Does the organization need statistical data to make a case for financing education? Is it already aware of basic skills needs? Is it committed to training in certain areas?
• Who needs what kinds of information? Why? How will they use it?
• Is the organization aware of your beliefs and practices as a workplace educator?
         
       

Individual assessments

What are the workers' strengths and what opportunities do they have to do their best? Employers are concerned about hiring and developing a workforce that can operate in a climate of change, build on its strengths, and use change creatively.

Some employers, in an effort to upgrade their employees or ensure safety of employees and clients, fall back on such traditional methods of assessment as standardized testing, which has little if any relevance to the specific needs of a changing workplace. Standardized tests were designed for large-scale testing across populations to compare proficiency or ability. They often highlight shortcomings; they do not yield information about the strengths and needs of an individual person in relation to a specific job.
         
Emphasize the positive      

The aim of individual assessment is to see how well people perform tasks. By emphasizing the positive we provide opportunities for people to do their best.

         
       
• assure confidentiality of all information
• request one-on-one assessment as the most preferable
• start from a worker's current experience
• choose relevant content from a person's work and life experiences
• look for strengths
• explain what you expect the participant to do (give examples on paper of matching, drawing lines, etc.)
• explain format or process if unfamiliar to participant
• demonstrate, using an example before participant begins

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