Bench Games Call for Participants: 2nd Annual Global Skills Competition Begins

Beginning May 15th, DC area-based online assessment leader Brainbench will once again offer free access to their extensive library of over 500 tests for participants worldwide. Known as the ìBench Games IIî, this is the second year in a row that individuals will have the opportunity to compete for certifications in over 500 subject areas, both for themselves and for their countries.

The contest will last for two weeks, at which time winners will be posted in individual categories as well as overall certifications by state and country. National Champions will be chosen in two categories: greatest percentage of citizens certified and most number of citizens certified versus total populations. Daily Leader Board results will be posted throughout (http://www.brainbench.com/xml/bb/landing/offer/promotion.xml?contentId=2310) the term of the contest. Last yearís Top 10 winners showed a marked increase in total certifications coming from Eastern European countries, with a slight decrease in dominance by the U.S. and India.

ìWe hold the Bench Games in the spirit of friendly ëintellectual knowledge and skillsí competition,î stated Mike Russiello, President and CEO of Brainbench, ìbut we also find the data provides some important insights into the state of todayís employment market and the way work skills are evolving. For example, just this last year we added over 50 new tests to our library, based on employer needs, including a highly relevant general intelligence test called the Cognitive Ability Measure (CAM). By adding this and other assessments, we can now measure not only hard skills like proficiency in computer development languages, but reasoning ability and even motivation. This gives us a fairly holistic picture of the current state of the global workforce.î

While this is only the second year of the officially named Bench Games, it is the fifth year that Brainbench has been collecting data on individuals and countries. Earlier data along with last yearís results were analyzed and reported in the 2005 Global Skills Report, which summarized data from over 300,000 results.

Some highlights from the report:

- India showed a 300% increase in just two years in overall skill certifications.
- Canada made a strong showing in customer support.
- Linux and Unix certifications were on the rise in comparison to Microsoft.
- IT matters everywhere and competition is increasing.

All tests are administered in English, which has seemed in prior years to impact results from certain geographic regions.

In addition to offering free testing, Brainbench will be awarding a total of $100,000 worth of subscriptions to each individual with the highest score on a given test, plus randomly selecting three iPod winners.

Bench Games II will follow the same format as 2005, using Brainbenchís core technologies for online job skill testing and certification. From May 15 - 31, participants worldwide can register for free to take online tests of their skills, knowledge, and aptitude in over 500 areas covering Written and Verbal Skills, General Business, Finance, Health, Administration, and Customer Support, as well as an updated set of Information Technology subjects.

Brainbench is planning to release an updated Global Skills Report later this year. The company is hoping to double last yearsí total of approximately 200,000 test results to include in the report.