TOWES

TOWES: Test of Workplace Essential Skills

Do your employees have the skills needed to be safe and productive in the workplace?

Research shows that the level of skill and knowledge required in the workplace is continually rising. It is becoming increasingly important for employers to ensure their workers have the skills needed to keep up with changing workplaces and technologies. Ensuring your employees have Essential Skills not only secures a productive workforce, but also improves the bottom line through fewer accidents and less errors.

Now there is an effective and affordable way to help you manage your workforce: TOWES!

What is TOWES?

TOWES is effective testing and training that uses workplace documents to accurately measure the three Essential Skills that are needed for safe and productive employment:

Reading Text - the ability to understand and use information contained in prose passages.

Document Use - the skills and knowledge needed to understand and use information from documents such as tables, catalogs, maps, and scale drawings.

Numeracy- the ability to understand and use numerical information embedded in print.

What is the TOWES test like?

TOWES is different from other tests because it uses authentic documents - such as catalogues, order forms, labels, and schematics - as source material.

Questions range in difficulty and mimic actual workplace tasks by having the test taker assume the role of a worker who needs to use information embedded in documents.

Measure Up! is a free web-based tool that tests your Essential Skills. It has problem sets similar to the ones used in TOWES. Each problem set is based on a document - a memo, catalogue, regulations, work order - associated with workplace contexts. The self-assessments found in Measure Up! have not been subjected to the rigorous validity and reliability standards of TOWES. It is an informal tool which demonstrates the power of TOWES.

http://measureup.towes.com/

Why use TOWES?

Employees who lack Essential Skills have higher accident rates and are often less productive. With TOWES employers can zero in on skill gaps and provide focused training that improves their bottom-line.

How an Employer Benefits from using TOWES?

• Increases productivity among employees.
• Provides accurate reliable hiring data.
• Ensures applicant has required skills.
• Complements existing screening tools.
• Provides skill-based credential.
• Assists in job training decisions.
• Increases and maintains high safety levels.

How an Employee Benefits from using TOWES?

• Helps employee perform the tasks required by their occupation and other activities of daily life.
• Identifies skills gap/required training.
• Accurate indicator of prior learning.
• Provides credential relative to specific occupations.
• Relates to a variety of occupations.
• Enhances people's ability to adapt to change.

Effectiveness of TOWES

TOWES has undergone an extensive psychometric review and nation-wide field-testing involving thousands of Canadians. These results prove that TOWES is the best measure of Essential Skills in Canada. TOWES is increasingly being profiled as a complementary credential to a high school diploma and an excellent way for employers to broaden their labor pool.

Where can I get the TOWES test at Durham College?

Contact Durham College and speak to the TOWES Lead Administrator, Michelle Forrest, for more details and the next scheduled testing dates. In some cases it might be easier for tests to be administered at the employer's site.

For more information on TOWES, see the following links:

TOWES
http://www.towes.com/

HRSDC Essential Skills Website
http://srv108.services.gc.ca/

Skillplan
http://www.skillplan.ca/