As employers and labor experts have told us, the workers of today and tomorrow are woefully unprepared to meet the demands of the workplace. Vocational assessment offers a solution that can enable youth, especially youth with disabilities, to overcome barriers to successful transition to employment and independent living. The goals of vocational assessment are to give youth the opportunity to discover their career, transition, vocational, and educational strengths. Once interest and ability are uncovered, needs and preferences can be identified and goals can be set. Getting an early start on assessment in secondary school is a surefire strategy for making transition planning and career development successful down the road.
People describe vocational assessment in a variety of ways.
Vocational evaluation uses an interactive, work-based setting to determine an individual s interests and abilities. This level of assessment is often used for individuals who have the most serious barriers to employment. The first level provides services like simple interest screenings that are useful to all individuals. The second level of assessment involves more in-depth analysis of the individual and his or her environments to identify goals and strategies for vocational training, career planning, or employment. Vocational evaluation uses an interactive, work-based setting to determine an individual s interests and abilities.