The Technical Skills & Aptitude Toolbox (TSAT™) is a cooperative assessment initiative of The Training Solutions Group, Inc., and The Alliance for Employee Growth and Development, Inc.
Definition of the
TSAT™
The Technical Skills & Aptitude Toolbox (TSAT)™ is a process
which utilizes the integration of behavioral and personality characteristics,
cognitive abilities, technical skills, and technical aptitude, to assist the
individual in identifying a technical career field or continuing path.
Using job unit or career-specific competencies, the TSAT™ assessments
are developed with a clear set of objective, measurable outcomes in mind.
Following the assessment, a highly-skilled technical advisor uses the
integrated results to work with the TSAT™ participant in developing a precise,
step-by-step technical training plan for certification paths or enhancement of
current work unit skills. The TSAT™
participant is matched to the most appropriate technology career, and helped to
identify a starting point and to construct a plan to achieve his or her
technical career goal.
TSAT™ Process
The TSAT™ Process for the individual is a four-step process:
Orientation, Assessment, Feedback, and Implementation.
1.
Workforce Orientation
The
workforce orientation encompasses an overview of technology careers and an
overview of the TSAT™ Process.
2.
Assessment
The
assessment is a four-hour, pencil-and-paper evaluation of behavioral and
personality characteristics, cognitive abilities, technical skills, and
technical aptitude. The following
assessment instruments are utilized.
CAPS
Cognitive
abilities. The eight dimensions
from the CAPS that are associated with technology careers are administered.
TSAT™
The technical skills
and aptitude assessment evaluates participants from across seven dimensions of
technology: Software, Hardware,
Networking, Office, Data Warehousing, Graphic Design, and Programming.
16PF
The 16PF gives the
individual and the advisor insight into learning style and personality
characteristics that are related to success in rigorous technical training
programs.
3.
Feedback
Approximately 2-3 weeks
following the assessment, participants will meet one-on-one for one hour with a
technical advisor to craft a step-by-step Technical Career Plan (TCP).
Participants are given a technical course catalog that describes each
course checked on the Technical Career Plan (TCP).
The technical course catalog permits participants to match their training
needs to a variety of different training resources.
4.
Implementation of the Technical Career
Plan (TCP)
One of
the resources may be group-sized classes offered by the Alliance Local
Committee. Following completion of
the TSAT™ Feedback sessions, the Alliance Associate Director/Alliance Local
Committee are given a summary report. This
report contains SUMMARY information regarding the number of individuals ready
for Alliance-sponsored certification test preparation programs, programs of
study or courses that the workforce needs to obtain their career goals, and
curriculum information to assist the ALC vendor in the development of its course
curriculum.
TSAT™ Fact Sheet TSAT™ Information Technology Catalog Reimbursement Form Alliance IT Certification Process Guidelines TSAT™ Procedures
Procedures for Remote Online TSAT™ PPT Procedures for TSAT™ Procedures for Online TSAT™ Reassessments
The TSAT™ is a process utilizing the integration of behavioral and
personality characteristics (16PF), cognitive abilities (CAPS), and technical
aptitude and technical skills (TSAT™) to assist the individual in planning to
achieve his/her career goal. Technical
career goals usually involve sequentially one or more the following steps:
 |
IT Survival Skills
(e.g., internet, office skills) |
|
IT Skills
Acquisition in a particular field or program |
|
IT Certification |
Enrollment in an Alliance-funded IT Certification program will be
based on the results of the TSAT™. The
Alliance will only support funding for the following IT Certification Programs: