Glossary

All A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Acronyms

  • PABSS

    Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security Program (PABSS): The Social Security Administration, as authorized by the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999, awarded Work Assistance Program grants to the designated Protection and Advocacy (PA) system in each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Territories of American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the PA system for Native Americans. SSA's PA Program, known as Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS), was created to serve SSDI and SSI beneficiaries who want to work despite their continuing disabilities. PABSS grantees will:

    • Assist beneficiaries with disabilities in obtaining information and advice about receiving vocational rehabilitation and employment services; and 
    • Provide advocacy or other related services that beneficiaries with disabilities may need to secure or regain gainful employment.
  • Parent
    May be biological or adoptive
  • Participates in Training
    Takes steps to develop and maintain knowledge, skills, and expertise necessary to achieve positive results. Participates fully in relevant training programs and actively pursues other opportunities to develop knowledge and skills.
  • Partnering
    Establishes strong and lasting partnerships with business contacts; proactively seeks ways of increasing business opportunities with contacts. Skillfully influences and negotiates with partners to create opportunities that increase the competitive position of both parties.
  • PASS
    A Supplemental Security Income (SSI) provision to help individuals with disabilities return to work. PASS lets disabled individuals set aside money and/or items they own to pay for items or services needed to achieve a specific work goal. Click here to learn more.
  • Performance Measures
    WIA establishes a performance accountability system, including State and local performance measures intended to assess the effectiveness of States and local areas in achieving continuous improvement of WIA Title IB funded workforce investment activities. As part of the submission of the Illinois State Plan for 2007-2009, a waiver request was included that would permit the early adoption of the WIA Common Measures. In response to the State’s request, the U.S Department of Labor (USDOL) has issued a waiver permitting the early adoption.
  • Persists
    Pursues work with energy, drive, and a strong accomplishment orientation; persists and expends extra effort to accomplish tasks even when conditions are difficult or deadlines are tight; persists at a task or problem despite interruptions, obstacles, or setbacks.
  • Persuasion / Influence
    Influences others; persuasively presents thoughts and ideas; gains commitment and ensures support for proposed ideas. Supports his or her ideas with data and research versus personal opinion. Is a skilled conversationalist and can successfully engage others in brainstorming and conflict resolution. Uses communication constructively to promote goals, not to gossip or cause harm. Exhibits public relations skills to increase internal and external customer/client satisfaction.
  • Phone Interview
    Interview technique used by employers to determine if there is a good enough match to schedule a personal interview.
  • Plan to Achieve Self-Support
    A Supplemental Security Income (SSI) provision to help individuals with disabilities return to work. PASS lets disabled individuals set aside money and/or items they own to pay for items or services needed to achieve a specific work goal. Click here to learn more.
  • Planning
    Effectively engages in staff planning and helps to ensure that work unit is appropriately staffed to accomplish its goals. Anticipates obstacles to staff planning, such as shifting economic and political climates, and makes appropriate contingency plans for these possibilities.
  • Plans
    Approaches work in a methodical manner. Sets and achieves short and long term goals. Plans and schedules tasks so that work is completed on time. Keeps track of details to ensure work is performed accurately and completely.
  • Policy and Procedures
    Understands the rationale behind organizational policies and procedures. Follows rules and procedures. Reads all directions before starting. Can break down instructions and prioritize implementation. Checks for clarification when directions are unclear. Appreciates relevance of procedures to performance and contributes suggestions for new/better procedures.
  • Portfolio
    Job-search tool developed to give prospective employers a complete picture of a job seeker's experience, education, accomplishments, and skills.
  • Positive Attitude
    Cooperates with co-workers and supervisors. Takes direction willingly and exhibits eagerness to learn. Acts in a pleasant and polite manner with customers, co-workers, and supervisors. Is optimistic and quickly reorients negative outlook into a positive outlook. Values how attitude affects performance and group dynamics and tries to positively influence conditions.
  • Potential Employers
    Businesses with jobs and employees that may or may not be hiring.
  • Pre-Apprenticeship
    A program that has a documented partnership with an employer and is designed to prepare individuals to enter and succeed in an apprenticeship program, which includes all of the following:
    • Training and curriculum that aligns with the skill needs of employers in the economy of the State or region and that have been designed to prepare participants to meet the minimum entry-level requirements of the apprenticeship program.
    • Access to educational and career counseling and other supportive services as needed by participants.
    • Hands-on meaningful learning activities that are connected to education and training activities, such as Career Exploration and Career Development Experiences, and that reinforce foundational professional skills, including, at a minimum, those outlined in the Essential Employability Skills framework.
    • Upon successful completion of the program, participants are supported to apply for an apprenticeship program and may receive preference for enrollment.
    • Inclusive recruitment of underrepresented individuals.
    • Strive for credential acquisition.
  • Prepares Documents
    Uses word processing programs to create, edit, and retrieve document files. Types materials quickly and accurately. Checks work carefully and identifies/corrects typographical errors. Uses basic reference materials and tools (e.g., spell check) to ensure accuracy.
  • Prepares for the Future
    Anticipates future changes in work tasks due to changing economic and/or political climates and provides employees with developmental opportunities that prepare them for these changes.
  • Preparing
    Prepares highly accurate and precise estimates of costs. Obtains the most recent cost estimates from vendors or catalogs.
  • Prioritizes
    Prioritizes various competing tasks and performs them quickly and efficiently according to their urgency. Finds new ways of organizing work area or planning work to accomplish work more efficiently.
  • Priority of Service
    A federal requirement that any service providers receiving U.S Department of Labor funds have processes to ensure veterans and eligible spouses are aware of (1) their entitlement to priority of service, (2) the full array of employment, training, and placement services available under priority of service, and (3) any applicable eligibility requirements for those programs and/or services.
  • Private Colleges and Universities

    ​Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive tax breaks, public student loans, and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. This is in contrast to public universities and national universities.

  • Private Sector

    ​Organizations that connect individuals to education and training and work support services and are owned and operated as a business.

  • Professional Development

    ​Opportunities to increase knowledge and skills for the purpose of enhancing an individuals’ ability to do their job.

  • Professional Networking
    Connecting with multiple groups of people to make contacts. Networking online is popular and efficient because you can connect with people from any location. Connecting through social networking sites means finding out who your friends, family, and acquaintances know, and it helps make connections.
  • Professional Skills Assessment
    A tool-based observational assessment of a participant’s performance in a Career Development Experience given by an adult supervisor and shared with the participant that addresses foundational professional skills including, at a minimum, those outlined in the Essential Employability Skills framework. The Professional Skills Assessment tool is to be used primarily as a feedback tool and development strategy and not as the sole basis for a grade or credit determination.
  • Professionalism
    The conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person. Citation
  • Programs of Study
    A structured sequence of topics that students are required to successfully complete in order to gain an academic award or training certificate. Examples of academic awards include an associates degree, bachelor degree, and graduate degree.​
  • Promotes Training
    Encourages employees to attend relevant training and workshops to broaden skills. Explains why training is relevant to employee’s career and works with employees to identify training goals.
  • Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security

    Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security Program (PABSS): The Social Security Administration, as authorized by the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999, awarded Work Assistance Program grants to the designated Protection and Advocacy (PA) system in each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Territories of American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the PA system for Native Americans. SSA's PA Program, known as Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS), was created to serve SSDI and SSI beneficiaries who want to work despite their continuing disabilities. PABSS grantees will:

    • Assist beneficiaries with disabilities in obtaining information and advice about receiving vocational rehabilitation and employment services; and 
    • Provide advocacy or other related services that beneficiaries with disabilities may need to secure or regain gainful employment.
  • Providing Personalized Service
    Provides prompt, efficient, and personalized assistance to meet the requirements, requests, and concerns of customers. Provides thorough, accurate information to answer customers’ questions and inform them of commitment times or performance guarantees. Actively looks for ways to help customers by identifying and proposing appropriate solutions and/or services. Establishes boundaries as appropriate for unreasonable customer demands.
  • Public Community Colleges

    A nonresidential junior college established to serve a specific community and typically supported in part by local government funds. ​

  • Public University

    ​A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities.

  • Punctual
    Acting or arriving exactly at the time appointed; prompt; precise; exact.
  • Punctuality
    The quality or state of being punctual; especially, adherence to the exact time of an engagement; exactness.