Centers for New Directions

What are the Centers for New Directions?

Are you a single parent? Or a displaced homemaker? The Centers for New Directions are designed to provide you with the support you need to enhance your career readiness.

The Centers exist to help you:

• Overcome personal and economic barriers to education and employment
• Enroll in training programs where you can obtain marketable skills
• Enter the labor market
• Become economically self-sufficient

The Centers can provide you with:

• Personal, career and educational counseling
• Assessment and testing
• Training in life skills
• Pre-employment and pre-training preparation
• Supportive services

Non-traditional Occupations

In addition to serving displaced homemakers and single parents, the Centers expand their services to support special populations, which does include single parents & displaced homemakers, as well as individuals preparing for non-traditional occupations. A non-traditional occupation has less than 25% gender representation in a workplace field. The Centers help to educate about these nontraditional careers in Idaho and support Career Pioneers, that is, students that are leading the way in these fields. Many Centers provide nontraditional occupational students access to scholarships, networking student groups, special STEM events, volunteer opportunities, and specialized career and personal counseling. Some examples of how the Centers are helping to support Idaho’s STEM pipeline into CTE programs, are found in events the Centers help to coordinate annually.