Vermont Employment Pathfinder Launches with Federal Support

Last summer, the BDCC began the beta testing phase of the Vermont Employment Pathfinder initiative.

Starting in January of 2023, with a grant from the US Department of Labor via Former Senator Leahy, the BDCC has been collaborating with Dutch software company Skill Lab to bring innovative technology solutions to Vermont’s pressing workforce challenges.

Skill Lab has been implementing an a skills-based employment support application that leverages AI to analyze, translate, and match someone’s skills with an education or employment opportunity. It’s already used used across Europe and the Middle East, empowering displaced workers with economic opportunity in countries ranging from Egypt to Ukraine. Our Vermont initiative is focused on adapting a proven, life-changing tool to meet the needs of all Vermonters, using Vermont education and employment opportunities, and in support of Vermont’s employers, educators, students, and job-seekers.

The tool’s user-friendly “interview” styled process gives individuals an increasingly personalized list of skills they are likely to have gotten through formal and informal employment, educational, and extra curricular experiences. As the user’s profile fills up with their skills and indicate their career interests, the app will make personalized recommendations about industries, courses, and jobs to explore right here in Vermont.

The testing phase will inform how the tool can best support Vermonters in real time, while the VEP team works to ensure the right education and employment data is being integrated into the system. In Spring of 2024, the tool will be used across Windham County high schools, with New Vermonters, and adult job-seekers of all backgrounds and abilities, before launching statewide.

For more information on Vermont Employment Pathfinder, visit the website or contact the team at Hello@vermontemploymentpathfinder.com.