"This [Web] page opens up very fast and gives you great information on the job that you want to find out
about. There were great facts and awesome details . . ."
~ Student user's comment
Designed by the State Department of Labor, the New York CareerZone Web site is "an O*NET delivery system"
that has revolutionized the way New Yorkers access career information. Launched as one of five O*NET
pilot programs, the NYCareerZone System is now a statewide resource for teachers, counselors, and career
center staff. The system engages students and job seekers in career exploration and helps them develop
their skills in career planning.
The Need
Providing all students with access to comprehensive career information was a challenge in a state as
large and diverse as New York. The key to reaching students was to provide access in the classroom.
Inspired by the State Education Department's Career Plan initiative, the NY State Labor Department
collaborated with Education officials to build electronic portfolios linked to state learning
objectives and O*NET occupational information in the Web-based NYCareerZone system.
O*NET Role
NYCareerZone developers incorporated the O*NET Interest Profiler and skills search capabilities into the
portfolios to help students identify their interests and relate them to appropriate career possibilities.
Students can explore specific occupations using Job Profiles drawn from the O*NET 4.0 database.
The profiles also include state-specific wage and outlook information related to the O*NET occupations
and a link to a state college database. Up-to-date job openings are provided through a link to America's
Job Bank so that students get a taste of real world business expectations.
One portfolio is designed for middle school students (grades 6-8) and focuses on occupational
exploration. The other, designed for high school students (grades 9-12), focuses on helping students
identify their abilities and develop career plans for moving successfully from school to postsecondary
education or training.
NYCareerZone complements other career information resources in use across the state. It is tied to The
RealGame curriculum and various training programs used in the Labor Department's Workforce Investment
programs.
The NYCareerZone team provides hands-on user training, including a history of the O*NET system and what
it offers. Staff find that teachers are often very excited about the wide variety of occupations
available in the labor market and the ease of learning about them through O*NET Job Profiles. During the
hands-on training, staff often notice some teachers "madly typing in the back of the computer lab.
When asked what they're looking for, a common reply is 'Well, my daughter wants to be a _____, and
I want to take this home to show her.' When they say that, they're hooked. If they want to show it to
their kids, they'll want to use it with their students."
Key Results
Updated every year and enhanced in response to customer feedback, NYCareerZone began as a "nice tool
used in individual classes by individual guidance counselors and teachers." Now it is being implemented
both school district- and organization-wide across the State. Administrators are learning about the value
it offers and are building it into comprehensive guidance and counseling programs.
Whole classes are going to the computer lab to work on their portfolios and explore careers using the
system. Academic as well as tech-prep and business teachers are building its use into their curricula,
particularly when they see how they can link their curricula to the state's learning objectives and their
students' career interests.
Early in 2003, more than 110,000 portfolios were in use, and the number is growing by an average of 300 a
day. The Web site gets 70,000 visitors each month. As one user reported, "CareerZone is FABULOUS!
Very well organized, great information."
Teachers and counselors are delighted to find an occupational information source they can access at
home or in libraries. They find the system so easy to use that they don't feel totally overwhelmed
by the amount of information provided.
Contact
Doug Reamer, Project Director
New York State Department of Labor
Division of Research and Statistics
Telephone: 1-877-226-5724
Email:support@nycareerzone.org
URL: http://www.nycareerzone.org/
