SHOP TALK # 13:
Career Development Resources
for the Adult Education Classroom

Published February 15, 2007

Career Development Resources (CDR) is a department within the Texas Workforce Commissions that specializes in the development and application of occupational and career information. The products are inexpensive, most of which range in price from 5 cents to $2.00! Brief profiles of selected products follow, with information about ordering the materials – well worth making available to adult education instructors and learners venturing into workforce educational topics!

The Texas Job Hunter’s Guide, Succeed at Work, and Your Next Job are three of CDR’s most popular publications, and are now available in new “flip side” versions that include English and a full Spanish translation. These Express versions include the same important topics addressed in the original documents but are written at a simpler reading level and include full Spanish language translations.

The Texas Job Hunter’s Guide models a successful job search. Succeed at Work focuses on keeping a job, growing the job, and becoming a valued employee. Your Next Job is a “must read” for those bouncing back from a layoff. One person’s journey from the anguish of job loss to the thrill of finding a new job is woven throughout the publication. Each is available for $2 per copy.

Also available is a selection of brochures, posters, and pocket-size items. Brochures listed below cost 5 cents per copy:

• Where Do People Find Job Openings?
• Top 10 Career Tips for a Successful Future (wall posters also available)
• Texas Workforce Occupational Highlights
• Are You a Doer, Thinker, Creator, Helper, Organizer, or Persuader?
• Financial Aid
• Pocket Resume

Another ground-breaking publication aimed at helping workers create career paths that move them from entry level jobs to economic freedom is Pathways to Personal Independence. Identifying three pathways for each of ten common entry-level positions, the publication lists the knowledge, skills, abilities, and training needed to move forward. The introduction explains career paths for the 21^st century and guides workers in taking charge of their own career development. Pathways can be purchased for $2 per copy.

An order form / price list, in addition to more detailed information about these and other products, including career exploration software, is available online at www.cdr.state.tx.us

An introduction to these products is included in professional development activities offered in response to Education Rider 82 (79^th legislative session, 2005). For information about professional development opportunities, adult educators are encouraged to contact their regional GREAT Centers.

SHOP TALK is a series of informative releases intended to address issues, concerns, and questions related to meeting the educational needs of Texas’ emerging, incumbent, and displaced workers. The series highlights promising practices that can be replicated in adult education programs across the state. For additional information or to request that a particular topic be addressed, contact Barbara Tondre at btondre@earthlink.net