Raj pursued a career in advanced manufacturing straight out of high school. Now, he wants to further his career and earning potential—and needs personalized information that helps him take stock of his skills and experience side by side with information about careers in his area, the credentials needed to get those jobs, and what training is available to him. 

Job seekers all have unique circumstances, whether they are looking for their first job, advancing their current career like Raj, or pivoting to change career pathways altogether. State data systems must be designed to enable job seekers to navigate education and career pathways that lead to high-quality careers.

When state data systems enable access to information, data users from across the workforce community—not just job seekers—can answer questions and make decisions.

• Identify growing industries and programs to support job seekers in those fields;
• Discuss a job seeker’s experience and determine if it aligns with local job needs; and
• Advise job seekers about the cost and outcomes of various education and career programs in the area.

• Explore and compare locally available career education opportunities;
• Evaluate long-term questions such as the wider landscape of high-quality jobs;
• Understand and evaluate various resources such as job counselors and career centers; and
• Hold the government accountable for providing resources and access to meaningful career pathways.

• Answer emerging questions about the skills needed for the current and future labor market and whether their state and communities have the talent and training to meet demand;
• Plan for how the labor market in their state or community is changing over time and identify what education and training will be needed to prepare citizens for the careers that are coming next; and
• Allocate resources toward workforce training programs that work.