WorkKeys: Bridging Academic and Workplace Skills

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Steve Tapp is the CEO of ACT, a leading nonprofit assessment organization best known for the ACT college admissions test. With over 30 years of experience in assessments across education, professional certification, and workforce testing, he previously led PSI Services and Lifelong Learner Holdings, helping scale global assessment platforms.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode

1. How AI is transforming the assessment lifecycle—from test creation to scoring.
2. Why fairness, validity, and human oversight still matter in AI-powered testing.
3. How ACT is expanding beyond college admissions into career readiness.
4. The potential of adaptive and personalized assessments.
5. Why bridging academic testing and workforce skills is the future of assessment.

✨ Episode Highlights
[00:00:00] Steve Tapp on his 30-year career in assessments and joining ACT as CEO.
[00:03:00] AI as a “force multiplier” across the testing lifecycle.
[00:07:27] The opportunity for adaptive and personalized assessments.
[00:10:28] ACT’s broader mission beyond the college admissions test.
[00:15:46] The growing importance of measuring workforce-ready skills.
[00:18:30] How ACT’s WorkKeys connects education to real-world jobs.
[00:22:45] Tapp’s vision for the future of ACT in the AI era.

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