In conjunction with employers, educators, and experts in employment and training requirements, American College Testing (ACT) selected 12 generic employability skills--skills crucial to effective performance in most jobs--to form the basis of the Work Keys System. They are as follows: reading for information, applied mathematics, listening, writing, teamwork, applied technology, locating information, observation, motivation, speaking, learning, and managing resources. Work Keys has as its basis a metric, or measurement scale, that could be used to compare an individual's employability skills to the requirements of a particular job. The program has four interactive components: profiling, assessment, instructional support, and research and reporting. The profiling component is a job analysis procedure that identifies the Work Keys skills and the levels needed to perform a job adequately. Data from job profiles and student assessments indicate that student skills are well below the levels required for the work force. The Work Keys System uses job profiling to create skill standards specific to the real requirements of jobs; assessments permit individuals to compare their own skills on those same scales. Using Work Keys for implementation and selection is based on four steps: job analysis, assessment, intervention, and evaluation. (Four tables and 16 figures are appended.) (YLB)