An individual assessment of basic skills should have customized components drawn from the workplace or from the personal and community life of the participant — reading a local school notice or a workplace bulletin; writing reactions to a picture from a local newspaper or a description of an accident at work; using math for family budgeting or for measuring on the job; discussing a problem and suggesting solutions. To identify shortfalls in a person's work skills, use relevant work materials.

A manufacturing firm decided to introduce bar codes to improve production. The workplace educator read the new manuals, talked to the supervisors and trainer, observed the workers on the job, and saw a demonstration of the new equipment. She and the trainer listed the basic numerical and reading skills needed to use the new system. From their list they developed an individual assessment to identify gaps between a worker's current level of basic skills and that necessary for the new job. This portion of the assessment began with the familiar — math and reading tasks that were part of the current job — and then moved on to the unfamiliar.

With the evolution of high-performance workplaces, educators, in collaboration with labour and management, have redefined basic skills to include higher-order skills — organizing, forming strategies, solving problems, thinking creatively. You can assess these skills along with reading, writing, math, and oral communication by asking some new questions. Discussing common problems encountered at work or at home can reveal how people use these skills and how they prefer to communicate.

A real example from a person's experience will reveal behaviours and skills more accurately than a hypothetical situation will. You might ask, for example, What do you do when you have a recurring problem with a co-worker, colleague, or neighbour? Can you tell me about a real experience of your own?