Effectiveness of the Career Dimensions’ Career Assessment, Education and Career Planning Systems
We presented our most recent research results that describe the effectiveness of our Career Dimensions systems at the following professional conferences:

• National Career Development Association Annual Conference, Washington DC 2008
• Workforce Development Professionals Annual Conference, The College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts, 2009
• Arkansas Conference for Workforce Education, Career Guidance, Exploration, and Preparation, Little Rock, 2009
• National Institute of Certified College Planners, Las Vegas, 2008

High School Students (grades 7-12)
Benefits of using MCP : Students had significant improvements in the following:

• More specific about their career and education goals.
• Improved academic grades.
• Reduced dropout from High School
• More communication with counselor and parents about career plans.
• More participation in behaviors that support their career goals, e.g. volunteer work and internships.
• More specific about college plans and choices of colleges, universities and technical institutes.

College and University Students (2-year and 4-year colleges and universities)
Benefits of using FOCUS 2: Students had significant improvements in the following:

• More confident in their choice of a major area of study.
• Graduate on time from colleg3e
• Reduced transfer to other colleges
• More participation in behaviors supporting their career development, e.g., volunteers activities and internships.
• More specific about their occupation goals and plans.
• More communication with their College’s Career Services counselors.

Persons in Career Transition and Seeking Career Change
Benefit of using either MCP or My Golden Career:
Workers had significant improvements in the following:

• Discovered a wide range of occupations that match their personal qualities.
• More confident that they can make a successful career change.
• More specific about their occupational and educational goals.
• More specific about their immediate skills training needs.
• More specific about their choices of fro enrollment in a college or technical institute.

Prisoners and Offenders on Probation or Parole, and Teenagers in Juvenile Detention Centers
Benefit of using MCP or My Golden Career:
Incarcerated persons and those on probation or parole had significant improvements in the following:

• Exposed to more choices for their future.
• Making plans based on their personal interest, abilities and values.
• More self confident that they can control their own destiny.
• More specific about occupational and educational goals and plans.
• More specific about their choices for enrollment in skills training programs.
• More specific about enrollment in a college, technical institute, or vocational school.

Benefits of Career and Education Planning to Society and the Economy
Reference: America’s Career Resource Network Association (ACRN) "The Educational, Social & Economic Value of Informed and Considered Career Decisions” dated 2003 and updated in 2005, authored by Scott Gille and Meegan S. Isenhour
A compilation of published research indicates that there are economic and social benefits associated with informed career and education planning and decision making. The benefits can be summarized as follows:

• More educated and adaptive workforce
• Increased productivity through gainful employment
• More tax revenue for government because workers have more secure and steady employment.
• Reduction of costs for society and employers:
  • Reduced unemployment insurance payments.
  • Reduced welfare expenses
  • Less health care expense through a reduction in stress
  • Less criminal justice expenses through a reduction in violence
  • For co9lleges and universities, reduced dropouts and transfers to other colleges.