The role of career and school counselors in workforce initiatives

摘要

Career and school counselors play a critical role in the success of workforce and education programs, ensuring that labor market needs are met in the most productive and efficient manner. These highly trained professionals usually begin with one-on-one sessions to understand a person's needs and desires, followed by written or computer assessments that help determine abilities, aptitudes, skills, values, and interests - and how they relate to different careers. These assessments, which have been developed and refined over several years, usually consist of multiple choice questions in which the test taker indicates preferences for different interpersonal and work choices. The counselor evaluates the results and provides an in-depth interpretation, followed by a discussion of educational requirements and job outlook for possible careers. Finally, the counselor can help with job search procedures, such as applications, resumes, interviewing, networking, employer identification, and planning.