5.4.1 Career Assessment Overview

Career assessment is a broad spectrum of assessment tools that W-2 agencies can use to help individuals learn more about their work styles, skills, and interests.

The W-2 agency must offer career assessments to all applicants and participants. However, career assessments are not required to be completed as a condition of eligibility for the W-2 program.

An applicant or participant may decline completing a career assessment for any reason.

Career assessment results can be used to:

Define a career path;

Assign meaningful activities;

Highlight strengths;

Identify training needs; and

Match the individual to employment opportunities.

More than one tool may be required to capture the three required elements:

Work styles represent personality and temperament factors that influence how someone works, such as preferences for working with others or independently. Work style-focused career assessments can demonstrate the individual’s attitudes and job readiness.

Skills represent a person’s competency to perform tasks which can improve with training and experience (e.g., computer programming). Skills-focused career assessments can include knowledge, aptitude, and ability. Skills can relate to a particular occupation, as typically listed in a job announcement to describe the tasks of a position.

Interests represent activities individuals like or dislike doing. Interest-focused career assessments help individuals identify work-related interests and find the types of careers that match.

Do not use educational needs assessment tools in place of career assessment tools. Educational needs assessment tools should be used in tandem with career assessment tools to identify the education and training needed to allow individuals to obtain employment that fits their work styles, skills, and interests.

The results of both assessments complement each other and inform the EP development and assignment of meaningful activities. (See 5.1.2 )