Public Employee Press

Test prep classes help workers advance

A recently enacted state law calls on municipalities to sharply reduce current numbers of provisional employees, and New York City says it will replace provisionals with permanent civil service workers by hiring and promoting from civil service lists wherever possible.

District Council 37 has responded to members’ need to take and pass civil service examinations. The DC 37 Education Fund, which has been providing career advancement courses for over 25 years, has offered 15 test prep courses since July 1, 2007, and will offer more in 2008.

Class enrollment ranges from under 30 to the 3,500 members who took the Secretary and Office Associate classes offered in October 2007. In February, over 300 members of Electronic Data Processing Personnel Local 2627 were taking classes for the Computer Systems Manager and Operations Manager exams. “The preparation is excellent,” said Local 2627 President Ed Hysyk. “A lot of our members haven’t taken a test like this for a long time.”

“The test preparation courses are review classes that help members improve their test scores and provide tips about test taking,” said Education Fund Administrator Barbara Kairson.

The career advancement classes are generally presented in a lecture format, with the number of sessions depending on the content to be covered. Instructional materials are provided free to eligible DC 37 members. Evening and weekend classes are offered whenever possible, and courses are held in various locations citywide.

The fund does not offer courses for all civil service exams, but tries to provide classes where demand is high or in response to requests from local leaders. Only members and agency-fee payers eligible for Ed Fund benefits may participate in the classes and receive the materials. For upcoming courses, check the fund listings in PEP or on the DC 37 Web page.

The Education Fund does not cover filing fees for civil service examinations. Signing up for a union test preparation course does not register an employee to take the civil service test. Members must submit their applications and filing fees for exams to the Dept. of Citywide Administrative Services. For more information, visit their Web site at http://www.nyc.gov/dcas.