Manpower switches to fastpath for skills testing

Manpower, the UKís workforce management company, is now using the Fastpath skills testing solution. Developed by ISV Software, it has been deployed across 150 of Manpowerís UK retail branches and many of its major contract sites. It enables consultants to assess the skill levels of candidates in less time and helps ensure they provide the highest quality staff to clients.



Fastpath has been introduced as part of a strategy to upgrade Manpowerís office skills assessments. It will form part of Evaluate, a range of skills assessment tools that has been developed and validated by Manpower. Fastpath will test knowledge of commonly used software such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint along with secretarial skills including medical and legal. It will also assess contact centre and customer service skills as well as data entry, numeracy and literacy.

Manpower completed an extensive review of all available assessment solutions, including field-testing, before selecting Fastpath.

ìWe wanted a proven employment services industry software solution designed specifically for the UK market,î commented John McArthur of Manpower. ìThe fact that ISV could offer a skills testing solution that was designed in the UK for English speaking candidates was a major plus for us. It was also important that ISV could provide both CD and web-based versions.î

ISVís straightforward, easy to use methodology provides a practical measurement of hard skills such as data entry, quality, accuracy and speed using tried and tested assessments. It not only reduces the amount of consultant time required to administer and score candidate assessments, but also provides a more user-friendly experience for people taking the tests.

ìSkills testing has always been an integral part of Manpowerís recruitment and selection process. Fastpath gives us a competitive edge as it enables us to provide staff with known skill capabilities that can be immediately productive from day one,î continued John McArthur. ìIt was seamlessly rolled out across the organisation with the active support of ISVís project management teams. The assessments will be further developed and refined in the UK by ISV as required.î

Evaluate complements Manpowerís existing range of candidate assessments, which uses many tests developed in-house including Ultradex, a manual dexterity assessment tool, and Linguaskill which tests the abilities of candidates in all major European languages.

Laurie Dobson, Managing Director of ISV Software added: ìWe are pleased to be working with Manpower - a leader in the field of employment, assessment and training. We are confident that this tailor-made solution will help them place the best candidates into work for their clients.î