TOPEKA, Kan.– The Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL) has introduced a new platform that connects students to career opportunities in the state.
Named Today’s Occupations, Tomorrow’s Opportunities (T.O.T.O.), the resource is designed to help young Kansans find their way through career choices with information backed by the volumes of data KDOL collects from employers every month.
“The goal is to be known in the education world as a source of career information, so students know what Kansas occupations there are,” said Angela White, Director of Labor Market Information Services.
The site is still in its first stage, with more resources for students and teachers to be added later this year.
KDOL is working closely with KANSASWORKS, a web-based job-matching and labor market information system supported by the Kansas Department of Commerce. White said the two programs are similar but have different focuses.
“KANSASWORKS does a great job helping businesses and engaging employers to post jobs, search resumes, and promote their companies. They help connect employers to programs like apprenticeships and positions they have open with job seekers they have,” White said. “TOTO is for younger target group, to expand interactions with K-12.”
KDOL is also working with the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) to connect current education pathways with career opportunities available.
“We want to engage students in career exploration and discover their interests and talents and identifying pathway to get there,” White said.
Right now, T.O.T.O. consists of LMI resources like Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, High Demand Lists, Employment Projections, Today’s Occupations, Career Posters, the IPEDS Dashboard and three external resources, which include:
- O*NET: Provides resources on career tasks, skills and salary information for more than 900 occupations along with personalized career suggestions based on interests and level of work experience.
- CareerOneStop: Provides tools to discover the right job for you based on education and training information.
- Apprenticeship and Career Training: Provides information on apprenticeships that prepare you for full-time positions.
Currently in development are coloring pages and activity worksheets for K-12 schools and a budget tool that shows you how much money students need to make to afford the things they want and need when living on their own. They will then be able to explore Kansas occupations that meet their annual salary criteria using an intuitive career coaching site that will help students in career exploration and planning, discovery of interests, and identify pathways to careers they might not know exist.
“Students can learn what jobs are in demand in their area, which jobs are growing, and what wage to expect,” White said.
The site shows wage data down to the county level.
