The Department of Labor is inviting workforce development professionals to participate in the Tools for America’s Job Seekers Challenge. The Challenge seeks to help jobseekers and workforce development professionals identify and use online job search and career advancement tools. The Challenge will utilize an innovative method called “crowdsourcing” to allow jobseekers and workforce development professionals to recommend and comment on job search and career advancement tools. This effort is in collaboration among the White House, the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA), IdeaScale.com, job-related online tool providers, workforce development professionals, and jobseekers.
Here is how the process will work. From now until December 18 (Phase 1), anyone can submit ideas to DOL, using the website: www.dolchallenge.ideascale.com. DOL is looking for a wide variety of options in this area including job matching, career development tools, job boards and includes the use of social media. DOL will look at both free and for fee products in this area and will recommend these selected tools to the public workforce system. From January 4 through January 15, (Phase 2), workforce professionals and job seekers will be able to test drive the tools that have been submitted looking to give feedback on how effective everyone feels how well these tools would work. Then, beginning January 18 (Phase 3), DOL will announce the winners and allow the workforce system to easily access the use of these new tools.
Announcements along the way will be on key sites, including www.dol.gov, www.doleta.gov, www.whitehouse.com/blog, and two of my personal favorites, www.workforce3one.org and www.careeronestop.org.
This is an opportunity for us at ASTD to contribute ideas and engage in the dialog. Many of our members are probably using some of the best tools on the market, and I know have some of the best ideas to share! So, we look forward to actively participating in the Challenge; and I will blog here as this project moves forward.
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Categories: Public Policy