The Advantages of Assessments
June 6, 2025Comments
Accurate skill assessments help determine the strengths and weaknesses of new and current employees, and maximize a manufacturer’s ability to attract employees, reduce turnover and retain the right people. And, evaluating and assessing employees is vital to building an environment for success and maintaining high-performing teams. The Precision Metalforming Association’s (PMA’s) workforce-development team offers expertise and resources to help metal formers properly assess new and current employees.
Tools for Pre-Hires
In terms of pre-hires, “the true cost of hiring and onboarding metal forming employees often is underestimated,” says Connie King, PMA’s workforce-development director. “On average, it takes 33 days to fill an entry-level position in manufacturing, with a cost/hire averaging $5000. With high entry-level positions prone to churn, that’s a cost that few metal formers can handle repeatedly.”
Correctly administered, pre-hire assessments can identify candidates with the aptitude for industry skills and traits, thus minimizing turnover and protecting organizational culture. One powerful resource PMA members can utilize: the Occupational Aptitude and Knowledge Assessment (OAKA). This unique, industry-designed assessment is a predictor of an inexperienced applicant’s potential to learn the job and the applicant’s ability to function in today’s precision-manufacturing environment.
Available for purchase through METALFORM EDU for $25/person, the 60-min. assessment consists of 60 best-answer multiple-choice items. OAKA is intended for those entering into basic manufacturing training programs and apprenticeships, or applying for job vacancies as entry-level equipment operators, assemblers, fabricators, inspectors and technicians.
The assessment covers mechanical aptitude and spatial reasoning; mathematical reasoning and measurement; problem solving and related information; and industry understanding and behaviors. It’s a powerful data-driven tool to evaluate job applicants wishing to enter, transition or upskill into a career in metalworking.
“By identifying candidates with the potential to excel in metal forming roles,” King says, “OAKA helps prevent costly hiring mistakes and ensures the building of a workforce ready to thrive in precision manufacturing.”
Don’t just take PMA’s word for it … here’s what Larry Dickens, training manager for North American Stamping Group, has to say:
