CWA/NETT Academy Mailbag: When Your Job Depends on Passing Tests, CWA/NETT Can Help

The future looked bleak for some Local 4900 members when SBC in Indianapolis declared a surplus and in December closed their small department, a call-in support desk for customer service representatives and managers. In order to stay with the company, they would have to pass company standard tests including the Technical-Mechanical Test, or TMT.

CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen's office steered the workers to the CWA/NETT Academy website, where Training Administer Kevin Celata has set up study guides and practice exams to help members prepare for a number of industry standard tests.

"Only two people in our office had passed the TKT test," Local 4900 member Debbie Mickle said. "Until we got on the website, none of the rest of us even knew what was on it to pass it."

After reviewing the test online, Mickle and seven co-workers conquered the TKT and have all moved into new jobs as technical specialists, cataloging and maintaining central office equipment. Although practicing and passing the online test doesn't guarantee success on the real test, Mickle said it can make an enormous difference.

Any CWA member can access an array of study guides and practice tests used by SBC, Verizon and other companies, including the TMT, TKT, UTB (Universal Test Battery), Customer Service Representative and Technician Mini Course. Just visit www.cwanett.org, and create a log-in. It's easy—and it's free.

Have a training success story you'd like to share?
Send it to Kevin Celata, at .