Welcome! Read the latest issue of PROGRESS, featuring inclusive programming in Virginia. Read PROGRESS
VALRC homepage

Virginia Wizard Supports Workforce Preparation

by Kate Daly Rolander

screenshot of the Virginia Wizard landing page

The Virginia Wizard is an interactive online career exploration and planning tool developed and maintained by the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). Adult education programs around Virginia have incorporated the Wizard into their intake processes as a way to help learners identify their career interests, strengths, and options for continuing education and training along a career pathway. Learners can register and create their own free accounts to help monitor their progress and to continue to access new resources.

The Wizard’s landing page offers three options for services: one for students, one for veterans, and another for adults who want to enter the workforce. The three service options come with similar offerings related to translating a learner’s experiences, skills, and interests into a career plan; however, they customize their offerings to make the experience relevant for a wider range of job seekers. For veterans, for example, there is a tool to help find civilian careers based on a learner’s experience and branch of service, as well as a link to find a local college representative for veterans.

The workforce service option supports adult education programs’ goals of helping adult learners enter and succeed on a career path. As more programs incorporate Integrated Education and Training (IET) programs into their offerings, the Wizard can serve as a valuable tool for students to use during intake, throughout training, and beyond as they enter into employment and postsecondary education opportunities.

With guidance from an instructor or a career coach, our learners can create free accounts and access the workforce service portal to:

  • assess their career interests and work skills,

  • build important soft and technical skills that are important to employers,

  • develop a career plan and identify what kinds of jobs they would most want to secure,

  • practice resumé writing and interviewing,

  • learn about ways to network and manage their social media presence, and

  • locate career resources in their local areas.

For adult learners who have expansive work histories and life experiences, the Wizard may be a valuable companion tool to use in conjunction with a career coach or another job mentor. The tool provides immediate and up-to-date information and resources that will help guide learners toward additional education and training options in an industry where they show aptitude and interest, providing them with potential costs and time commitments, and helping them to make informed decisions about how best to proceed along a chosen career path.

Access the Wizard and create an account here!

Kate Daly Rolander is Workforce Instructional Specialist at the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center.