DOL Wants Job Search Sites to Join Challenge
Announced Dec. 3, the "Tools for America's Job Seekers Challenge" will connect workers with online career resources and allow them to review the offerings.
The U.S. Department of Labor began the first phase of the "Tools for America's Job Seekers Challenge" on Dec. 3. The challenge will connect workers with online career resources. Providers of job search engines, job boards, and career exploration sites can learn more and submit products at http://www.dol.gov/challenge.
All submitted sites must be free to users. Tools with a fee may be submitted if they include a demonstration period that allows the tools to be reviewed free of charge during the competition.
"We know there are hundreds of job search and career sites out there, and we are looking for both established providers and innovative new entrants to the market to showcase their best products by joining the challenge," said Labor Secretary Hilda Solis. "We want to be sure that job seekers have every tool available to them as they search out promising careers in growing industries around the country."
Phase one (Dec. 3-18) is the phase for developers to submit. During phase two (Jan. 4-15, 2010), job seekers and workforce professionals will review the sites and provide feedback. Phase three will begin on Jan. 18, 2010, when the department will announce which sites received the most positive feedback and provide an alphabetical list of all tools that were submitted. DOL's national network of nearly 3,000 One-Stop Career Centers will help connect job seekers to the online tools. The agency said more than 20 million people seek employment services annually through the One-Stop system.