How to Maximize Free or Affordable Online Career Pathways Training Resources
Summary
Challenge Statement
Today’s economy requires most workers to learn new skills to stay employed and climb a career ladder. Adults are becoming lifelong learners. Entry level positions also require proficiency in basic industry specific skills. One of the most widely used paths to gain entry or climb a career ladder are with the numerous certification/credential programs. A career pathways model means that an adult will have to learn new skills and the training opportunities should be affordable and readily available.
How to Use this Guide
Choosing a Career Path
To get the best assistance out of the guide, people will need to know what kind of career paths interest them most. Ask them to think critically about this. Have they always wanted to be a business owner and an entrepreneur? Perhaps Amazon’s seller classes or Khan Academy’s start a business guides are the right approach. Or maybe they want to arm themselves with more technical skills so that they have valuable skills that they can bring to the market—Software development might be a better fit. Have they always wanted to pursue a creative career? Maybe looking into design careers is a step in the right direction.
Ultimately, this will take a certain level of self-awareness and a desire to do some self-assessment, but it can also be supplemented by some kind of skills/employment test to help guide which direction might be right for them. Here are a few examples:
● https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/cant-decide-on-a-career
● https://www.youthemployment.org.uk/how-to-choose-a-career/
● https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-questions-thatll-help-you-find-your-dream-career
Self-paced vs Structured Courses
What kind of learner am I? A self-starter or structured learner. Self-starters and people who prefer to do things on their own time would benefit the most from self-paced classes as well as individuals who have their own full or part time schedules already that prevents them from being able to participate in full-time coursework or in-person classes. Structured courses are great for people who benefit from the accountability and hands-on learning approach of an in-person class.
Online Career Training Certification Programs
Introductory sentence about choosing the right program for you based on their offerings, cost, style of structure. To learn more about their offerings click here.
Grow with Google/Cousera Certification Programs
UX Design, Data Analytics, Project Management, IT Professional Support, Android Development, Google Cloud Certifications
Self-Paced | Cost: $39/month or $468/year
Software Development, Sales, Customer Service, Graphic Design, Data Analytics, Data Science, Project Management, Microsoft Excel
Cost: $240/year
CUNY Upskilling Free Online Career Skills Training Program
IT, Software Development, Entrepreneurship, Health Care Administration, Data Analytics, Career Resources, Professional Skills
Cost: Free
SUNY Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC)
Academic Certifications, Allied Health Certifications, Business & Industry Certifications, Small Business Certifications, Self-Paced Learning Programs
Cost: Free
Microsoft Accelerate and Azure
Microsoft Azure Developer Certification, Microsoft Power Platform App Maker, Security Engineer, SQL Server Certification
Cost: Free
Navigating your Career, Health and Medical Careers, Work in Tech, Advertise, Starting a Business, Educate, Hospitality
Cost: Free
Background
The Online Career Pathways Training Resources Guide was created by David Rubel, a consultant with the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island (JCCGCI)-Workforce Development Program. The JCCGCI-Workforce Development Program, with funding from the New York City Human Resources Administration (NYC-HRA), has been operating in the communities of Boro Park, Williamsburg, Crown Heights, Gravesend and Far Rockaway since 2019.