Eagle Times Staff
BURLINGTON, Vt. — Vermonters job seekers now have a new tool to help match them with opportunities throughout the state. Announced at the Old North End Community Center in Burlington, Vermont Employment Pathfinder (VEP) focuses on a skills-based approach for hiring and career exploration. The tool, provided through a partnership between Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) and internationally award-winning technology company SkillLab, will help Vermonters improve career outcomes and help Vermont employers recruit talent in today’s challenging workforce environment.
VEP uses artificial intelligence (AI) to interview users, determining their level of experience with various skills and job tasks. It builds resumes based on the user’s skill profile and matches them with relevant education and employment opportunities.
“In my work supporting Vermont’s workforce, I feel firsthand the frustration of knowing our employers are desperate for workers while many Vermonters feel underemployed,” said Alex Beck, welcoming communities manager at BDCC, who oversees the project. “Young Vermonters who picked up skills on their family farms, babysitting, or volunteering can’t see themselves — or their skills — in their local economy. And folks who have been out of the workforce, for whatever reason, struggle to articulate how the investments they’ve made in themselves and their families translate to workforce skills.”
Vermont Employment Pathfinder is partially funded by a $900,000 (49.5%) grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)’s Employment and Training Administration, matched by $918,000 (50.5%) financed by non-governmental sources.
“We were introduced to SkillLab by Michael Knapp of Green River Software,” said Adam Grinold, executive director of BDCC. “We began exploring how we could bring this innovative, impactful technology to all Vermonters. And so, with some hard work, deep collaboration, and visionary advocacy of Former Sen. Leahy, we’ve been able to adapt SkillLab’s tool to serve Vermont job seekers, employers and education providers.”
VEP is made available to the public through a partnership with Advance Vermont and its free online hub for career and education exploration and planning, MyFutureVT (myfuturevt.org).
“MyFutureVT is focused on empowering Vermonters with the information that they need to take the next step in their career and education journey,” says Advance Vermont Executive Director Tom Cheney. “VEP adds a critical tool to the toolbox by helping Vermonters identify what skills they already have, how those skills connect to a career, and what education or training they need to meet their goals.”
Already many Vermonters have benefitted from the tool during the soft launch.
“I’m proud to share that we have 268 users from five Vermont counties, 10 different countries, who have generated 360 resumes in search of new opportunities,” Beck said.
Vermonters can learn more or sign up for VEP at myfuturevt.org/vep.
