The article discusses common disadvantages of most current Employability Development Plans (EDPs) and suggests specific remedies that organize the decision-making thrust of employability counseling. The authors present a theory-based, developmental model for assessment and EDP systems, and review general problems in implementing this model.A thorough review of systems used for participant planning and career choice over the years indicates a wide range of techniques. These approaches have ranged from relatively unstructured ones to the use of highly structured employability development plans or EDPs. Recently the EDP approach appears to have won out, at least for economically disadvantaged clients. The reasons for its preference over the various unstructured approaches is obvious. EDPs insist that manpower counseling result in a series of decisions regarding needed services directed toward a goal or goals and delineate a plan through which the goal(s) may be reached. As such, the effective EDP relies on a series of rational decisions on what needs to be done (goal setting) and another series of rational decisions on how this is to be accomplished (planning). For an example of a characteristic EDP, see Figure 1.Buried in the phrase "series of rational decisions" is the important concept that the quality of the series of decisions has enormous impact on manpower outcomes.. If the decisions are good ones, outcomes will often be positive. A series of poor decisions will tend to result in poor outcomes. Moreover, to the extent that any decision in that sequence is poor, the likelihood of a positive outcome is reduced. A critical first step in manpower counseling then, is to specify the decisions that are to be made. Exploring the Content and Sequence of Employability DecisionsThough the characteristic EDP approach to career planning is commendable, a quick glance at Figure 1 will make clear one of its drawbacks James S . Goalder is manager of Human Resources Research, Center for Public Affairs, at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond. William H . Mann is senior manpower planner at the Peninsula Office of Manpower Programs in Hampton, Virginia. 168 JOURNAL OF EMPLOYMENT COUNSELING

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