Could anyone have imagined thirty years ago what today's workplace would look like? Computers. Fax machines. E-mail. Cell phones. International trade. Global economies.

Yet even as we enjoy the benefits of sophisticated technologies in an international marketplace, many workers do not have the education and training they need to succeed.

A survey by the American Management Association (AMA) shows that 36% of job applicants tested by major U.S. firms in 1998 lacked sufficient reading and math skills for the jobs they sought. This figure had nearly doubled in two years, up from 19% in 1996.

The AMA report says that the sharp increase in skill deficiencies is not evidence of a "dumbing down" of the workforce. Rather, it confirms that higher skill levels are required for today's jobs, in a workplace where new technologies have increased skill demands for literacy and math.

That's why the time is right for the ACT Centers.

Designed to offer testing and training services for individuals, businesses, and organizations, the growing nationwide network of ACT Centers will play a central role in helping people become lifelong learners, adequately and continuously trained to function effectively in the evolving global job market.