Program Planning

Short-credential career navigator

Pick a state and an occupation reached with a certificate or associate degree. The navigator brings together projected openings, the state median wage, the Opportunity Data AI Exposure Index, Workforce Pell list status, Registered Apprenticeship status and how many short programs on the state’s Eligible Training Provider List train for the occupation and meet the Workforce Pell outcome marks.

Every figure comes from a public federal or state source named under each panel. Nothing here is a recommendation for a person; it is the record a counselor, a college or a state office would assemble before a decision.

Released November 2026. Five public sources, named under each panel

176

Occupations

Usual entry below a bachelor’s degree

Jurisdictions

States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico

2,862

State-occupation pairs with ETPL programs

Listings of 52 weeks or fewer that name the occupation

Public sources

State projections, OEWS, ETPL, DOL apprenticeship list, the AI Exposure Index

What does one occupation look like in one state?

State Occupation

Short programs on the state’s training provider list

Program-level results, with each listing against both 70 percent marks, are in the state and college reports.

Openings and growth: state long-term projections, 2024 to 2034 (Projections Central). Wage: BLS OEWS state median, May 2025. College awards: IPEDS 2024-25 provisional, certificates and associate degrees, split across occupations by the NCES crosswalk. Programs: TrainingProviderResults.gov listings that name the occupation, 52 weeks or fewer; “in the window” means 8 to 14 weeks and 150 to 599 hours as listed; rated means both rates reported with 10 or more students; meeting both means 70 percent completion and 70 percent second-quarter employment.

Which occupations in the state pay most, grow most or face the least AI exposure?

All occupations for the selected state. Sort any column; choose a row’s occupation in the menu above to see its programs.

Workforce Pell list AI exposure

Sources

State long-term occupational projections, 2024 to 2034, Projections Central (Projections Managing Partnership).
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state cross-industry medians; BLS Employment Projections Table 5.4 for typical entry education.
TrainingProviderResults.gov full program file, U.S. Department of Labor; method on the ETPL outcomes page.
The Opportunity Data AI Exposure Index, composite score and tiers as published. Aggregated projection codes (for example home health and personal care aides) have no index score.

Workforce Pell for Students: federally approved programs, with steps to apply.