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Community Literacy Summit
9/17/12
(History of how we started using Work Keys):
Started through the wired grant in 2007.
Profiled Team Leader position to determine the skill level needed to be successful in the
position.
Asked employees in team leader, technical and some office positions to take the three Work
Keys tests(Reading for Information, Locating Information and Applied Math).
Reason was to better align our training programs with their needs and that this would give us
information to be able to do that.
Better employee selection and matching skills required for the positions
Very important that we communicate it was in no way punitive.
Had approximately 200 employees.
45 employees completed some or all of the testing
31 received a National Career Readiness Certificate(NCRC).
Operations management team and Human Resources discussed performance on the job and
the work keys scores to see if we saw a correlation between on the job work performance and
work keys scores.
Surprised at the high skill level and were able to give some employees additional challenges.
Majority of employees were nervous to take the test.
Many hadn’t taken a test for many years.
To show them they weren’t singled out, and that we too were vulnerable the owner of
Butterball, Mark Peters and I also took the tests with the first group to see what it felt like.
Allowed me an opportunity to much better explain to them what to expect and to better relate
to their fears as I think we all have some level of anxiety when it comes to taking a test not to
mention 3 hours of testing.
After some testing the results acted as a confidence booster, some employees had the reaction
of “Oh I’m smarter than I thought”.
2010 automated part of our production process which resulted in a reduction of 80 positions.
To determine which employee positions were eliminated, we reviewed skill level.
The new equipment required a different skill level as it was much more technical in nature –
less manual labor.
Skills necessary in the new positions included
o more critical thinking skills
o team work
o communication skills

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o Understanding the entire line and how adjustments to one piece of equipment affect
the rest of the line and the team was now critical.
o A much higher technical aptitude was required.
o The product moves too fast for the human eye to visually inspect so it’s using and
monitoring equipment to ensure that quality meets expectations and that we are
producing perfect product every time.
o More proactive, to learn how to do things on the line and watch others so their level of
understanding can increase vs calling someone else to figure out and correct problems
when they occur.
o new position with the title of technician.
o Additional requirements for a technician
 GED or High School Diploma
 Ability to read, speak and write English proficiently
 NCRC at the silver level or higher
(Program thru Literacy Center)
In 2011, the Literacy Center approached us and asked if we were interested in partnering with
them on an ASCET grant.
The timing of this was perfect.
We also had just rolled out a new initiative to all hourly and salaried employees.
We told them that we continue to believe in giving employees opportunities. However,
going forward, we as an organization have to get better every year.
Each employee has to improve their skills and what they contribute to the organization
every year.
No one can continue to simply do the same thing this year as they did last year.
Each employee would be required to demonstrate that by providing information on
specific training they took the previous year and what they are doing differently on the
job this year than they were last year.
After some discussion with the Literacy Center regarding what our needs were, they put
together three sets of classes including Workplace English, Foundational Skills(Work Keys) and
Employability Skills(Soft skills).
Goal of classes included
 improving communication on the job
 job seeking skills
 preparing employees to take the Work Keys testing and to earn a National
Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC).
 The goal of the Workplace English class
improve the speaking, reading and writing skills of non-native English speaking
employees.

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We believed that these skills would help them to be more effective in their current position
and be better positioned for promotions.
Communication about the specific training offered and why employees should consider
investing their personal time was key.
Literacy Center helped us create the talking points
o included tying the classes to our mission statement which is to Enrich Lives.
o Part of that mission means that we give you opportunities to learn and improve your
skills.
o To get and keep a job today, all employees need to learn new skills every year so they
are able to provide for themselves and their families.
o Importance of Work Keys
 over 85% of all jobs in the US require skills in these areas.
 For promotion opportunities at BBF, a NCRC would be required.
 nationally recognized credential
puts applicants at the top of many employers recruitment lists
helps not only here at Butterball but with other employers as well.
The Foundational skills class met weekly
Workplace English classes met twice a week
Employability Skills Class met once every three weeks.
All classes involved online work at home or practicing skills learned during the training.
Homework was a key part of the training.
One of our guiding principles is to promote continuous learning and innovation.
Up to them to take the first step and we challenged them to take it.
Provided information about the classes at employee meetings and had some people sign up
immediately.
Found to get them to take that step, a lot of individual 1 to 1 communication was needed to
give them encouragement and a nudge that this was a good opportunity they should not let
slip by.
Posted a list of companies in Kent County who prefer Work Keys certified candidates.
Some employees knew employees who worked at other companies that used work keys.
Became ambassadors for us by talking with other employees and validating that other
companies use this also and some base your rate of pay on how you score on Work Keys.
The first step was that the Literacy Center administered an assessment.
Determined which class was best matched to their skill level and needs.

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Because they were in a class with people they work with who had similar skills levels, this
boosted their confidence that they could do it – learn new skills.
The cost for the class was funded through the Ascet grant. Butterball paid employees at the
normal rate of pay for 50% of their class time to encourage them.
120 employees
56 employees enrolled in one of the three classes.
For some, attending the classes was at times difficult or impossible due to their work schedule
and if they were required to work extra hours that day to meet customer expectations.
Overall, the result of the training was very positive.
Results that were immediately noticed by managers of those attending the training
Improved job skills especially communication and speaking English on the job rather
than their native language which was more comfortable.
Not only did their English language skills improve as a result of the class but the class
was conducted in English and their confidence level of practicing with each other during
the 13 weeks spilled over to confidence in their position on the plant floor speaking
English.
Following the class, two of our employees on 3rd shift who previously needed translation
at each employee communication meeting told us they could understand in English and
didn’t need the translation anymore. This was a huge success!
Another two employees went on to attend additional training of 200 hours with other
programs so they could continue to improve their English skills.
There is no doubt in my mind that the training conducted by the Literacy Center
gave them the confidence to continue their education and training and helped to
instill continuous learning in them.
Publically recognize employees who are completing training and gaining a NCRC
 Employee meetings
 Posting information on the bulletin board
 Publishing the information in the employee news letter
 Butterball News Network.
 It’s important to recognize and reward the behaviors that you want to see more of.
 Other success stories from the training program include:
 Completed the Workplace English class applied for and was hired for a position outside of
Butterball Farms
 Plus $2/hour, a 27% increase.
 hired because he was able to complete the application in English and interview in
English.
 This was a great success for him as well as for our community.

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 Promotions
 Promoted from a team leader to a supervisor position.
 Two employees Operator I position to an Operator II position and received a 15%
increase in pay
 Three employees were promoted to Team Leader positions and received increases of up
to 52% increase in their base pay.
 First to Team Leader position and then to a Quality Supervisor position and received a
35% increase in compensation
 Back-up team leader position.
(How we use now:)
 Use Work Keys in the hiring process and give preference to applicants who have the
certification.
 Ask the question on our application – are you work keys certified.
 Advancement in the organization.
 Some employees thought they were too old to learn something new or to take a test, some
employees didn’t think they were smart enough to take the classes offered but they found they
could do it so it has increased employee confidence.
(What were the challenges):
 Challenges we faced
 Holding true to our standard.
o Strong performance on the job, we had supervisors who wanted to promote them and
give them a pay increase prior to receiving the certification.
o HR had to hold firm on this not happening so it didn’t erode the value of the certificate.
o Another challenge was availability of testing though this has been resolved now.
(How Work Keys is used in industry)
Works keys is used in industry
Establish skill level.
In no way diminishes the value of a GED or High School Diploma but gives
employers information on specific skill levels that are required.
Used as a tool to recruit people with the right skills into positions(rather
than a less formal system or just basing the decision on what an applicant tells
you or how they interview).
Very valuable tool that has increased success in hiring and promoting
people into positions.
(Personal stories):
Long lasting impact of the Literacy Training at Butterball?
One of our employees who attended the Workplace training class decided not to take the
Work Keys test at the time but it planted the seed and he is now seeking his GED and is
planning to take the Work Keys testing following that.

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Another employee in a team leader role said
Helped her do a better job by learning how to better communicate with people,
How to be a better leader.
One office employee shared that in the class there was a lot of discussion about how to
handle difficult co-workers and difficult situations. The group had a good dialogue about
how they could handle a situation like that and Jane challenged them to think about
additional more effective ways they would do this as well.
Another employee who attended the training
Very enthusiastic to learn new skills
Put himself into a more secure position to enable him to provide for himself
and his growing family.
Diligent about attending the classes and doing his homework
Took the Work Keys tests and achieved a NCRC at the bronze level.
Goal is to raise his score to a silver level
Retook the Locating Information test which is the only one he is at the bronze
level in
He missed being at the silver level by 2 points when he retook the test
Again studying so he can retake the test.
Driven to achieve the silver level which was instilled by the Literacy
Center – the continual drive to succeed – not giving up, but studying,
retraining and trying again until you are successful.
9 employees who attended the Literacy Center training have been promoted to positions of
increased responsibility.
Training helped improve
Employees comprehension
Gave them confidence that they could continue learning.
I can’t say enough about how the Literacy Center training helped moved our employees toward
our organization goals and the confidence that it gave each of them and how it helped us as an
organization toward our goal of each employee being a continual learner.