ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to extend the conversation about workforce readiness by making the case for why and how an occupation-centric approach can inform scholarship and practice. The concept of workforce readiness is inextricably linked to the concept of an occupation, and this relationship provides a number of benefits for researchers and practitioners. It is clear that an occupational approach can provide substantial value for workforce readiness issues at multiple levels of research and practice. The chapter articulates the value of an occupational approach to workforce readiness as well as provide an example of how ONET information can be applied to research and practice for a variety of stakeholders. Occupations provide an essential common language for promoting more effective communication between the many stakeholders involved in understanding and affecting workforce readiness. The flexibility of an occupational approach offers considerable utility for examining issues of workforce readiness, both within and across levels.
