THE LEARNING ABILITY BATTERY

Introduction

The major challenge facing Human Resource Managers today (2008) is to select suitable applicants for employment and for subsequent training.

Candidates are usually recruited from a pool of applicants that are able to produce a school certificate from at least Grade 9, and are then enrolled in Learnerships. Such indiscriminate enrolment often results in up to a 90% failure rate within the first year. This high failure rate means wasting training and salary costs, and also permanently scars the individual’s self esteem.

The reasons for this high rate of failure are mainly:

The inability of the candidate to understand the English Language (medium of instruction).
Despite their school certificates, candidates are semi literate and semi numerate.

It is critically important to know before you employ or assign a person for skills training if the candidate has:

The Ability To Learn anything (Theory and Practical).
Language Skills: At what Basic English (or other language) and Numeracy Levels he/she is now at.
The potential and aptitude to be trained, and perform on the job after training.

Lead the Field Training (LTF) offers an invaluable assessment tool that is quick and cost effective to enable HR Managers to make informed decisions on selection for employment and for training. This is the Learning Ability Battery (LAB). (LT F is a registered service provider with ETDP SETA)

The Learning Ability Battery (LAB)

The LAB has been proven (900,000’s of candidates) to be a reliable assessment tool to select candidates for learning potential and required levels of English and Maths to enter a and success fully complete a Learnership contract. The LAB program is registered with the E.T.D.P. SETA

LAB assesses the following:

Basic Eyesight and Hearing abilities
“Non-Verbal” Skills to determine Learning Potential and aptitude to learn
Language Skills (Current levels of comprehension, Grades 1 to 12) any one of the 13 languages
Numeracy (Mathematical) Skills (Grades 1 to 12)

A Description of the Elements Assessed by the LAB

1. Eyesight and Hearing for candidates to be able to perform; it is essential that he/she has normal hearing and eyesight for some tasks in the work place. Good eyesight and hearing is of critical importance.

The LAB uses a Schnellen Chart for eyesight and an Audiometer for assessing hearing ability.

2. Non-Verbal Skills (Learning Ability)

Eye-Hand Coordination: 66 – 100% indicates the applicant is well suited to perform a hands-on operation such as writing, hand crafts, driving, front-end loader, forklift, etc. The nearer to 100% for this element, the better the person will perform.
Short and Long Term Memory: The highest scorer nearest to 100% will remember the material/instruction learnt during training best.
Visual Perception: Determines the candidates’ visual speed and accuracy and ability to distinguish between similarities and differences.
Visual Insight: How well does the candidate grasp what he/she is shown and the ability to recognise an object or situation when it is viewed from different positions or angles.
Quantitative Perception: How well can the candidate discriminate between quantitative concepts like large – small, far – near, many – few. The higher the LAB score the better the judgement.
Seeing the whole Picture (Gestalt): The ability to project three dimensional objects, to recreate a design from the original, and repeat what has been taught.

These aspects of the individual are rated separately and as a group, to provide a composite percentage so that a profile or a signature of a particular skill can be obtained by assessing a highly efficient operator, say driver, front-end loader, etc. and this profile can be used as a benchmark to measure other candidates against.

3. Language Skills (Assessment of Prior Learning):
Current Levels (Grade 0 - 12) in Basic English Language comprehension (written), or any of 12 other languages, are determined.

4. Numeracy (Mathematical) Skills (Assessment of Prior Learning):
Current Levels (Grade 0 - 12) in Mathematics are determined.

Reports Provided by the LAB Assessment

An Individual Report (example below) is produced for each person assessed, which indicates:

the individual percentage for Ability to Learn (anything);
the average of the group in which he/she was assessed. This facilitates talent scouting for further training, from the Pool of Candidates;
the individual’s current level of written language comprehension in any one of 13 languages;
the current level of Numeracy/Maths assessed in English Grade 0 - 12;
the individual’s level of Eyesight and Hearing.

A Consolidated Management Report (example attached) reflects on one page up to 30 individuals’ basic details of Age, Home Language, English, Maths and Learning Ability scores. Groups can be consolidated to select and identify candidates in different age groups, race, gender and level of performance and qualifications.

Application and Value of LAB Results

The Non-Verbal Skills results will give you a good indication of the candidates ability to learn, and thus the potential for successful training.

The individual ranking score is based on the individual’s average score obtained in the non-verbal skills assessed. (The overall average ranking score of the group tested is also shown) The assessment results give a clear indication of which candidates should be grouped together for training according to their abilities. Candidates are grouped into three separate categories using this ranking:

65 – 100%: above average learning potential
35-64 %: average learning potential
0-34 %: below average learning potential

LAB Word Recognition and Calculation Results will assist you to determine if the candidate meets the Basic Requirement for Career Development, and will save you fruitless expenditure (money and time) on training.
To have at least a Grade 9 or NQF Level 1 qualification in English and Numeracy is a mandatory requirement for candidates who want to enrol for a Learnership.
This requirement is generic and applies to ANY Further Education and Training regardless of the discipline, trade or profession pursued.
The LAB assesses this basic educational requirement very accurately and clearly indicates where the candidate is NOW, at sixty percent pass-rate and not as Department of Education’s 30% which includes a 5% bonus percent for non English speakers. (Advice to candidates as to what bridging courses should be taken is suggested in the print-out)

How the Assessment is Done

The assessment is conducted by a trained facilitator (LAB Administrator).
A suitable venue with either Overhead Projector or Data Projector facilities is required. A Pre-LAB interview with the candidates is recommended, to obtain personal details – this can be conducted in a group, but is best done by the candidates’ supervisor. The assessment requires about 3 hours for groups of up to 20 (ideally groups of 10) for the Learning Ability, English and Numeracy, and another 15 minutes for each individual to assess the Eyesight and Hearing. Reports can be available on the same day (Processing results takes about 12 minutes per candidate)

The Lab Is Available In Two Options:

Option One: (In-house) LTF provides training for employers’ own employees as LAB Administrators, and a comprehensive kit of materials to be used in the assessment process. The required processing units (One Unit per person assessed) are purchased on a cost-effective sliding scale. Our consultant will provide relevant prices.

Option Two: (Out-sourcing) LTF can come and assess workers on the employer’s premises in groups of up to 20 candidates (minimum 10) and provide computer generated Individual and Management printouts within 48 working hours and conduct individual career Advice and Counselling to candidates (if required)

Training and Equipping of LAB Administrators

Lead the Field Training conducts the training of LAB Administrators (employed or sponsored by your company) whose basic education must be at least Grade 12 (NQF Level 4). The training (LAB 030) takes 4 days and candidates are required to meet two SAQA Unit Standards: Unit Standard 7386 “Assess learners within a learning situation”, and Unit Standard 117864 “Advise and counsel learners”. On successful completion of the training (85% pass required in written assessment), candidates are required to compile a portfolio of evidence in order to qualify for SAQA Registration and accreditation as LAB Administrators.

Each candidate is provided with a comprehensive Kit, which includes the hard copy (for in-house photocopying) of all the printed material, the Computer Software to process the Raw Score and produce Reports, an Overhead Workstage and Overhead Transparencies as well as a Powerpoint Presentation for using a Data Projector, to conduct the LAB assessment.

In-House Implemention of LAB Assessments

With your own trained LAB Administrator, Activation Units must be purchased from Lead The Field Training in order to process candidates Raw Scores and personal data. One unit is required for each candidate. Repeat assessments (after training) for a candidate can be done with the original unit. A Sliding Scale applies for the number of units purchased, i.e. (from R65 to R90 per candidate)

Support: LTF will provide professional telephonic support for users of the LAB programme.

Outsourcing Assessments

If a client does not want to conduct own in-house assessment by having an Administrator trained and purchasing activation units, Lead The Field Training can send a trained Administrator to conduct assessments on site. The cost to have LAB assessments done in this way is R750 per person + travelling cost, for a minimum of 10 candidates.

Please click image below for a larger version

The “Workplace Skills Development Planning” matrix shown above enables the HR Manager to determine what ABET programmes are required.
An example “Matrix”, that can be attached to the normal Management Report, is shown on the next page. A Master of this matrix, which matches the Management report layout, is included in the LAB Administrators Kit.

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