DOL Career and Credential Exploration (C2E) Participant Guide - January 2021 Edition

Sep 30, 2026

Upload by jay

Participant Guide for the U.S. Department of Labor’s DOL Career and Credential Exploration (C2E) program, January 2021 Edition. Provides a step-by-step structure for getting started, including objectives, course overview, and a career transition timeline. Covers vocational training foundations, self-assessments (including Holland codes and multiple assessment activities), labor market research and American Job Center support, and exploring training opportunities with credential-focused guidance, activities, and next-step planning.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages116

Reading Time4 h 52 min

AccessFree to download

Getting Started

Objectives

Course Overview

High-Quality Civilian Career

Career Transition Timeline

Activity: What I'd Be Doing If I Wasn't Here?

Vocational Training Foundation

What Is Vocational Training?

Why Pursue Vocational Training?

The Career Clusters

Career Clusters and Their Pathways

Activity: Identify Occupations Using the Career Cluster on O*NET

Activity: Career Cluster Exercise

Self-assessments

What Is an Assessment?

Holland Codes – Personality Types

Activity: RIASEC Exercise

Activity: O*NET Interest Profiler

Career Clusters and the Holland Codes

Aptitude Assessment

Activity: CareerScope® Assessment

Values Assessment

Activity: O*NET Work Importance Locator-Assessment

Status Check

Activity: Putting the Pieces Together

Labor Market Research

External factors

Occupational Research

Activity: O*Net Summary Report

Getting Help at the American Job Center (AJC)

Activity: Access the AJC Online

Exploring Training Opportunities

Why Are Credentials Important?

Common Types of Credentials

Activity: Identify Qualifications and Requirements

Ways to Gain Credentials

Activity: Apprenticeship.gov

Activity: Identify Training and Credentials Opportunity

Gaining More Skills Before Transition

Activity: United Services Military Apprenticeship Program (US

U.S. Department of Labor DOL Career and Credential Exploration (C2E) Participant Guide January 2021 Edition Table of Contents Section 1: Getting Started............................................................................................................................... 5 1.1 Objectives........................................................................................................................................... 5 1.2 Course Overview ................................................................................................................................ 5 1.3 High-Quality Civilian Career ............................................................................................................... 6 1.4 Career Transition Timeline................................................................................................................. 7 1.5 Activity: What I'd Be Doing If I Wasn't Here? .................................................................................... 8 Section 2: Vocational Training Foundation ................................................................................................... 10 2.1 What Is Vocational Training? ........................................................................................................... 10 2.2 Why Pursue Vocational Training? .................................................................................................... 10 2.3 The Career Clusters.......................................................................................................................... 11 2.4 Career Clusters and Their Pathways ................................................................................................ 12 2.5 Activity: Identify Occupations Using the Career Cluster on O*NET................................................. 15 2.6 Activity: Career Cluster Exercise ...................................................................................................... 16 Section 3: Self-assessments .......................................................................................................................... 19 3.1 What Is an Assessment? .................................................................................................................. 19 3.2 Holland Codes – Personality Types .................................................................................................. 20 3.3 Activity: RIASEC Exercise .................................................................................................................. 21 3.4 Activity: O*NET Interest Profiler...................................................................................................... 23 3.5 Career Clusters and the Holland Codes ........................................................................................... 25 3.6 Aptitude Assessment ....................................................................................................................... 27 3.7 Activity: CareerScope® Assessment................................................................................................. 31 3.8 Values Assessment........................................................................................................................... 35 3.9 Activity: O*NET Work Importance Locator-Assessment ................................................................. 36 3.10 Status Check ..................................................................................................................................... 42 3.11 Activity: Putting the Pieces Together............................................................................................... 42 Section 4: Labor Market Research ................................................................................................................ 45 4.1 External factors .............................................

FAQs

What is the C2E Participant Guide used for?

It guides participants through the C2E course structure, helping them complete objectives, explore vocational training foundations, perform self-assessments, conduct labor market research, and plan training opportunities around credentials.

How does the guide help participants understand themselves?

It explains what assessments are and includes activities such as a RIASEC exercise, O*NET interest profiling, Holland-code alignment with career clusters, aptitude and values assessments, and additional activities like assembling results.

Where can participants get labor market and job center support?

The guide covers labor market research tasks and includes instructions for getting help at the American Job Center (AJC), including how to access the AJC online.

Why does the guide emphasize credentials when exploring training opportunities?

It explains why credentials matter, lists common types of credentials, and provides activities to identify qualifications and requirements and to find training and credential opportunities, including pathways like apprenticeships.

Sep 30, 2026

Upload by jay