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Occupational Mobility Explorer

Workforce Development Practitioner's Toolkit

Introduction

The purpose of this toolkit is to demonstrate how workforce development practitioners can use the Occupational Mobility Explorer (OME) in their work with job seekers and employers. In the toolkit, you will find a step-by-step video guide to help you navigate the OME, occupation-specific use cases, and links to additional resources.

Workforce development practitioners can use the OME to inform various aspects of their work. Here are a few examples:

  • A career navigator could use the OME while working one-on-one with clients to determine how their skills could transfer to other roles.
  • A workforce development organization could use the OME to inform employer partners on skill transferability to help increase worker placement and promote skills-based hiring.
  • An instructional coordinator could use the OME to review skills listed under different occupations to help inform a training program.

Step-by-Step Guide

Next Steps

Access linked resources.

The OME also includes links to other external materials that may be helpful for job seekers or employers. Click on Skills-Based Resume Builder under Resources to access a free resume-building tool created by Jobs for the Future and Lightcast. You can use this to help job seekers begin writing a resume that highlights their existing skills and experience. If you work with employers, you can refer them to Jobs for the Future’s Skills-Based Practices: An Employer Journey Map, which contains strategies and best practices for implementing skills-based hiring.

Use in tandem with other tools to further inform job seekers’ career options.

Transferable skills and skill development are just some of the considerations workers have when making decisions about their careers. While moving up the career ladder can often lead to higher wages, higher wages can also result in workers losing valuable public assistance, which can make a household financially worse off. Tools like those in the Atlanta Fed’s Career Ladder Identifier and Financial Forecaster (CLIFF) suite can help you advise workers at different career stages and tailor scenarios to fit their individual circumstances. Fill out the linked questionnaire on the CLIFF page to request access to this publicly available tool.

Use Cases

Felix is a career adviser in Albuquerque, NM, who provides one-on-one career advising to students at an adult education center. Dawn, a home healthcare aide and a student at the center, schedules a meeting with Felix to better understand different career options in healthcare. She is considering becoming a certified nursing assistant, or CNA, but would like to learn more about other occupations in healthcare before pursuing the certification.

Janel is a hiring manager at an information technology (IT) company working with a workforce development agency to create an IT apprenticeship program that provides on-the-job training in IT support. Her company intends to hire apprentices who complete the program. Janel wants to know what previous work experience might prepare someone for an IT support role.

Additional Resources

Here are additional resources from other organizations that may be helpful for job seekers, employers, and workforce development professionals.

Aspen Institute

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Jobs for the Future

National Institute for Work & Learning

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation

U.S. Department of Labor