Workforce Assessment for Cognitive Ability and Capacity Building

“The modern workplace runs very largely on the cognitive abilities of its workforce.”
(Hunt and Madhyastha)

Cognitive Skills like attention and memory are the foundation for learning. Each mind develops uniquely, with some cognitive skills that are stronger than others. Our cognitive strengths and weaknesses impact our success in school, the workplace and in life.

Learning Capacity is not fixed. It can be developed.

Organizations need employees who have the ability to assimilate, process and comprehend information in an efficient and effective manner that allows them to take action to facilitate the overall strategy of the business. Today employers are facing a number of issues that undermine the cognitive capacity of potential workers.

• Less than a third of our students perform at grade level in reading and math in fourth grade, so 70% or our students are performing below grade level. And as for diversity in the workforce, less than 20% or our Latino population and less than 18% of our black population are performing at grade level.
• Twenty-five percent (25%) of our High School graduating seniors cannot read and comprehend their own diploma.
• And the vast majority of economically disadvantaged students do not attain proficiency prior to graduation.
• When the education system that has failed to prepare too many young people for productive contributions, in the workplace, employers are, in a real way, the last line of defense.
• 46% of our workforce is workplace illiterate because they do not possess the skills to utilize the tools that drive productivity.
• 15% of career success is due to technical competence and 85% is due to interpersonal skills (Carnegie Institute).
• Employers can expect to pay $685 billion in turnover costs in 2020 (Work Institute).
• General professionalism and a strong work ethic are missing for many.

A Blueprint for Developing a 21st Century Worker

Many organizations use cognitive ability tests to assess prospective employees’ cognitive capacity and make decisions on whether or not to hire them. If that’s all they do, they’re missing the real power of understanding and developing their workers’ cognitive abilities. This is true at any level of the organization.

When we work with an organization, there are generally three steps:

ASSESSMENT

If an organization already uses a cognitive assessment, we may start with that. Often, it doesn’t give the necessary insight into an individual’s growth potential and how that individual can be most effective. We offer two approaches to workforce assessment for cognitive ability.

STRATEGY RECOMMENDATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Based on informal and formal cognitive ability assessment data, we recommend the strategies best suited to support the individual employee in learning and other aspects of job performance and develop a plan to build on strengths and to develop areas that may need support.

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

• Cognitive Training

BrainWare SAFARI is the foundation for all of our cognitive training and development options. It is the most researched, comprehensive cognitive training delivered online in the world. The exercises in the program work on 43 Cognitive Skills and were developed over 40 years of multidisciplinary clinical collaboration. We paired them with video-game technology, so the training is highly engaging. The program has won many awards including the CODiE award for Best Education Game or Simulation (like getting an Oscar in the software industry).

We work with our clients to determine the best format for this training to match their needs, including individualized coaching and training, group coaching and training, or independent training.

• Reading and Literacy

For some clients, reading and literacy are issues for entry-level employees, particularly those for whom English is not their native language. Our reading and literacy solutions help accelerate the processes of decoding, building fluency and developing comprehension skills.

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