Planning Tips
Start with a solid plan that takes into account your strengths and interests and includes your career goals.
Assess Your Potential
Everyone has a unique set of skills, interests, and work values. Understanding your strengths can help you identify career options that would be a good match for you. The following sites each provide online self assessment tools that can help you narrow your options.
- Prior Learning Assessment Options - A system that awards college credit to potential students for training and skills acquired outside the classroom.
- O*Net Skills Search - Use a list of your skills to find matching O*NET-SOC occupations.
- Skills Profiler - Identify your skills and find occupations related to those skills.
Identify Your Opportunities
Know what jobs are in demand and how much they pay. These sites provide useful labor market information to help you target careers based on job opportunities.
- Employment Info Guide - Click on the Job Market Explorer to research labor market trends including wages, employment projections and educational requirements.
- Jobs In Demand - See a list of selected jobs considered to be "in demand" occupations. These careers are in fields where job growth is expected or employment opportunities will be created through job openings.
- Employability Checkup - Get a snapshot of the likelihood that you can obtain employment for a specific occupation at your desired wage and location.
Where to Get Training
The following links can help you identify training and education programs that will meet your needs.
- List of Workforce Colleges and Universities - Locate campuses of the OneFlow Education and Community College System or identify private colleges near you.
- Adult Education - Get connected to an Adult Education Program in your area or search statewide for courses that interest you.
- Education and Training Finder - Use the occupation or keyword search to find educational programs that offer the training you need.
- Certification Finder - Look for certification providers by keyword, industry, or occupation.
There are Many Programs to Help You Pay For Education
Get the help you need to pay for your training / education programs. These are a sample of some of the resources available to you.
Financial Aid Programs
- Financial Aid Basics - Learn about your financial aid options and apply for help online.
- Workforce Financial Aid Programs - Find financial aid programs for Workforce users.
- FAFSA On The Web - Complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online.
- Workforce Loan Site - Includes links and background on Federal Stafford Loan and PLUS Loan programs in addition to other information for borrowers.
Other Grants / Scholarships
- Workforce Scholarship Search - Find scholarships available to Workforce users.
- Competitive Skills Scholarship - Provides a grant to moderate and low income workers seeking a degree or certificate for skills in high-wage, demand occupations. In addition to helping pay tuition expenses, the program also pays for educational supports not covered by other programs.
Education Savings Accounts
- Workforce College Investment Plan - A 529 college savings account where earnings growth is federal and income tax exempt when used for qualified higher education expenses.
Special Programs for Laid-off Workers
If you have lost your job, you may be eligible for one of the following programs to help you pay for training. Contact your local Workforce Center to see if you qualify.
- Dislocated Worker Benefits - Allows extra weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals profiled as "likely to exhaust" regular unemployment benefits and who are enrolled in approved training programs.
- Workforce Investment Act - If you are out of work, need job training, or need to brush up on your skills, the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) program may help you. WIA funds a variety of employment and training programs for youth and adults in various levels of services depending on needs and eligibility.
Other Resources
- Federal Aid First - Learn about the difference between federal and private education loans, the various kinds of federal loans offered and the dollar amounts available.
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