Best Practice Self-Assessments for Job Search & Reemployment Planning

Have you checked out the redesigned WorkforceGPS? It’s the online technical assistance website from the U.S. Department of Labor created just for workforce development professionals. The site’s purpose is to help build the capacity of America's public workforce investment system through useful tools and research—all in one place.

The first thing you’ll notice on WorkforceGPS.org is that it looks better than ever, and the navigation is more intuitive.

But the new WorkforceGPS.org received more than just a makeover. The changes made are all based on feedback from users.

These changes include the following, according to the site:

• Simplified interface
• Easier log in
• Improved and streamlined search function that allows you to sort results by title, relevance, newness, or popularity, and you can customize other search criteria
• Easier way to navigate, search, and find peers in the Member Directory

Learn more and watch a brief overview video.

Looking for ways to improve outcomes for job hunters and employers? Be sure to investigate a central online tool for workforce professionals from the U.S. Department of Labor. Called Workforce System Strategies (WSS), the resource offers more than 1,000 evidence-based research and emerging practice reports.

The WSS database covers job search assistance, employer engagement, partnerships, case management, and many other workforce development issues. The research describes methodology, major findings, and recommendations. Learn more at Workforce System Strategies: Your Home for Evidence-Based Research and Emerging Practices.

Did You Know? In a "high causal evidence" study cited by the U.S. Department of Labor, only one reemployment tool—Layoff-to-Employment Action Planner (LEAP)—is described. LEAP is published by Career Action Resources, LLC.
 

As the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) marks its 70th birthday in 2019, the Editors at Career Action Resources have assembled this brief look back at its origins and history using information from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website.

The first version of the handbook, called “Occupational Outlook Information,” was issued in August 1946. It was prepared at the request and under the financial support of the Veterans Administration to make information available to returning World War II veterans about the need for general education and for trained personnel in various occupations. 

In answer to many requests, an Occupational Outlook Handbook was then published in spring 1949 and sold to the public. Subsequent editions of the Handbook were published in 1951, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1963, and biennially in even-numbered years starting in 1966. 

The BLS assembled and wrote the OOH, which became a very big book and a nationally recognized, respected source of career information. With each edition, the BLS updated the 10-year employment projections for hundreds of occupations and made many updates and changes to the in-depth occupational descriptions, plus added new jobs, as the economy changed.

For 2010-11, the BLS published the final OOH print edition. At that point, the OOH went solely online, although some publishers continued to offer printed versions for sale to bookstores, workforce programs, libraries, schools, and other customers.

To this day, the OOH continues to provide comprehensive, up-to-date, and reliable labor market information and descriptions for our economy’s jobs, always with an eye toward the future. It gives essential facts and figures about prospective changes in the world of work and the skills and qualifications that will be needed by tomorrow’s workforce. The OOH has helped millions of Americans plan their education and work lives.

Happy 70th Birthday, OOH!