Work Keys Program Offers Training To Workers Outside Downtown Area

Spokane residents seeking entry-level employment can get help through Work Keys, a job assessment and training program that was created to strengthen economic development in neighborhoods.

Work Keys was developed after residents in the city’s neighborhoods voiced concerns for better employment opportunities when the City Council approved the downtown development plan in March of 1999.

Spokane area community centers formed the Community Centers Development Council, which in turn spawned a larger alliance and the Work Keys program.

“If we want a vital downtown we will get there faster if we are surrounded by strong neighborhoods,” said Mike Edwards, president of the Downtown Spokane Partnership.

Work Keys is the product of a partnership involving several agencies, including the Downtown Spokane Partnership, Community Centers Development Council, the Spokane Chamber of Commerce, Community Colleges of Spokane, and Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs.

While the Downtown Partnership focuses on the staffing needs of downtown employers, the other agencies help neighborhood residents assess and increase their job skills.

More than 4,000 jobs in Spokane County were surveyed to identify skills needed by potential employees.

The program is funded mainly by matching grants through the Chamber of Commerce and Focus 21, which supports a number of economic agencies.

Residents can sign up for the program at any of the four Spokane community centers.

Upon registering, participants are asked basic questions about their personal interests to pinpoint what jobs they’re interested in versus what qualifications they have, said Martha Schwab, who helps coordinate Work Keys as an AmeriCorps Vista volunteer.

“We ask people if they like to make music, write music, or if they would like to build the instrument that makes the sound, or listen to music,” Schwab said.

The first phase of the program is a pair of three-hour assessment tests to gauge aptitude in areas such as reading, problem solving and teamwork.

After assessments are completed, participants meet one-on-one with a counselor from Community Colleges of Spokane’s WorkSource program for more job training recommendations.

WorkSource counselors also help participants with interview tips and resume writing.

If needed, there are 16-hour job skills training courses available through the program.

“We are delivering to employers a candidate who is more likely to stay with the position and grow with the position,” Edwards said.

River Park Square hosted a job fair at West Central Community Center earlier this month that brought more than 400 job candidates to employers such as Dakotah Direct, Chico’s and Travelers. Almost 100 of those candidates were Work Keys graduates, Edwards said.

Edwards said he is hopeful for a second job fair in time to hire workers for the next wave of stores opening at the downtown mall.

In the meantime, Work Keys will conduct an assessment of its graduates, Edwards said.

While the purpose of Work Keys is to strengthen the economic base of neighborhoods, Edwards does not pretend the program will reverse Spokane’s reputation as home to an undertrained work force.

“This doesn’t speak to the issue of high-tech jobs or super incomes. It’s not a savior for low-wage jobs in Spokane,” Edwards said. “We’re trying to create the opportunity for people to get into the work force and grow in the work force.”