Vocational Assessment and Evaluation

Vocational evaluation is useful in understanding the vocational readiness and social capacity of persons with disabilities to enter the workforce and retain jobs toward developing a career trajectory. As such, vocational evaluation is inclusive of vocational assessment but is more expansive in nature based on the overall goals and the methodologies implemented in developing an overall picture of individual capacity to obtain and retain employment. This chapter helps the reader to understand the role of vocational evaluation in the vocational rehabilitation process, the theoretical frameworks for vocational evaluation, the different levels of vocational evaluation, and the basic approaches utilized in vocational evaluation. The four major approaches used in the vocational evaluation process: standardized testing, job analysis, work samples, and situational evaluation. Each is unique, has assets and limitations, and has a role in measuring vocational behaviors. A community-based approach can be used to expand the traditional vocational evaluation process.