Prepare for Your Future - Upgrade Your Skills for New Careers

Sometimes an unexpected career event–such as a layoff–can be an excellent time to brush up on skills. You have several options to upgrade your skills.

Take a Class

Taking just one or two classes can help reignite your career and it can also help you stand out when applying for new jobs.

Short-term Training

Short-term training can include federally funded programs, certificate programs, paths toward certification and other training that generally lasts fewer than two years.

Begin or Finish a Degree

Many people find that a layoff or tight labor market is an excellent time ot head back to school to begin or finish a four-year degree.

Pay for School

Find out if you qualify for federal Dislocator Worker training funding. Even if you don't, there are many financial aid options like grants, loans, and scholarships that can help you achieve your education goals.

Skills Match Up

How are your current skills match up with employer requirements in your area of interest? If you need more training or education, you'll want to identify institutions or programs that have what you're seeking and check their eligibility requirements, training costs, and available financial assistance.

• If you're looking for information on the knowledge, skills and abilities that are in demand with employers, select any of our featured industries on the left side of your screen and then select any of the occupations that are in the in-demand list. You can then learn about what is required for that occupation as well as the employment and wage trends in most states.
• If you want to see how your current set of skills matches the requirements of a particular occupation, try the Skills Profiler, America's CareerInfoNet (ACINet). ACINet also has contact information for millions of employers in the Employer Locator tool.