Ashland Interest Assessment (AIA)

The Ashland Interest Assessment was designed to assist adolescents or challenged individuals in identifying satisfying careers. Written at the grade three reading level using large type, the AIA is ideal for people with barriers to employment due to educational, physical, emotional, cognitive and psychiatric conditions.

The items represent work tasks typically associated with a particular occupation, such as clerical worker, salesperson, or health care attendant. In other cases, the items more broadly represent general work roles, such as those involving Arts and Crafts or Personal Service. 144 pairs of work-related activities are presented, requiring the respondent to choose which activity he or she would like to do most. The results are printed in a clear and easy to understand format.

A great deal of care and attention was paid to the development of scales for the AIA. Norms were collected from employment agencies, schools, learning centres, psychiatric hospitals, and mental health associations. The AIA was normed on 725 females and 725 males.

Assessment Includes:

• 144 pairs of work-related activities
• Report summary of the 3 highest ranked Occupational Groups with links to the NOC/DOT codes
• Representative norms drawn from a sample of employment agencies, schools, learning centres, psychiatric hospitals and mental health facilities.

Assessment Measures:

• Interest across broad and easily understood occupational areas for those individuals with specific educational, physical, emotional, cognitive or psychiatric conditions.
• 12 broad, easy to understand scales: Arts and Crafts -Personal Service – Food Service – Clerical – Sales – General Service – Protective Service – Health Care –  Mechanical Construction – Plant and Animal Care – Transportation

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