Skills and competencies required

to make informed decisions

Nick KremerEva Schiorring

Vocational Research and Accountability Committee

June 21, 2013

Labor Market Information Project

Agenda• Introduce LMI Study • Present findings from LMI Expert User

Interviews• Launch conversation about LMI

training needs/opportunities

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Research QuestionWhat are basic and advanced

competencies CTE leaders and practitioners need to have/develop to effectively use LMI to inform CTE decision-making?

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Research Design

• Environmental scan• Interviews with expert users of LMI

• Round 1: Expert perspective (7)• Round 2: Scenarios (10)

• Survey through COE

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DefinitionLabor Market Information =

Information about and related to employment derived from both primary and secondary sources

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Environmental Scan

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Environmental Scan Secondary sources

• No shortage of resources on how to use LMI• Although, nothing found specifically targeted for CC use• Limited use of even carefully developed, user-friendly sites

Case Studies on LMI use in CCs• Aspen Institute College Excellence Program publication w RP Group:

“A guide for using labor market data to improve student success”

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Interviews w LMI Expert Users (17) Perspectives Represented:

•CEO LMI Research Group (1)•Director LMI Research Group (1)•Representatives, Statewide Pathways Project (2)•CACT Director (1)•CTE Regional Consortium Chair (1)•VP Instruction (1)•Instructional Dean (1)•Workforce/Economic Development Directors (2)•CTE Dept. Chair (1)•Faculty (2)

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For what purpose do you use LMI?o Feasibility of new programo Sustained need for existing programo Program reviewo Curriculum development/updatingo Grant/report writingo Partnership development (colleges/employers)o Outreach to students, parents, other users of CTE

programso Accreditationo Environmental scans, regional cluster analysis

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Scenario-based interviewsAssess feasibility of new CTE Program (5)Assess viability of existing CTE Program (4)

Develop grant to support CTE Program (2) Present CTE program to stakeholders (3)

Develop/update CTE curriculumConduct CTE Program Review (4)Promote CTE Program to employers/students

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Feasibility of New Program•Questions LMI experts ask•Resources LMI experts consult•Skills required

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What LMI-related questions do you ask? •What is supply and demand in occupational area? Regional, state, national?•What is the projected demand? Regional, state, national?•Who are regional and local employers?•What type of companies are in the local labor market? Size, number of companies?•What kind of skills are needed? (entry, advanced)•What are the (real) education requirements for different jobs in the occupation? •What certifications are required?•What type of companies are in the local labor market?•Last year, how many people were actually hired in the targeted occupation by local employers? •What are starting, long-term salaries, median salaries? •What may be the impact of regulations? •What factors/trends/events affect demand for labor/viability of the industry/occupation? •What is the composition of future demand?

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What LMI-related questions do you ask? •Last year, how many people were hired in targeted occupation by local employers?•What changes may occur in terms of skills required by labor?•Which other CCs in the region are offering training in related field?•Which other (non-CC) training institutions are offering programs targeting this occupation?•Are students finding training-related jobs? •What wages are students completing the program earning? What increase in wages?•Who else might be thinking of starting a new program in this occupational area? •What are real education requirements for different jobs in the occupation (according to local employers)•What career paths are available to those entering the occupation?

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What LMI-related questions do you ask? •34 questions identified with many repeats btw 5 interviewees•LMI-related questions can be organized into four categories:

• Demand (primary sources) • Demand (secondary sources)• Supply• Employment outcomes

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Questions LMI experts askDemand (Secondary Sources)•Profile of current and future demand •Drivers/volatility of demand•Employer profile•Career opportunities•Salaries•Skills, competencies, credentials required

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Questions LMI experts askLocal Employers (Primary Sources)•Profile of current and future demand •Salaries•Skills, competencies, credentials required

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Questions LMI experts askSupply•Other CC training providers in region (current, planned)•Other non-CC training providers in region (current, planned)

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Questions LMI experts askEmployment Outcomes•Training-related jobs•Salaries

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Resources LMI experts consult

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Demand•EDD•EMSI•Burning Glass`•COE•O-NET•Regulatory Documents

Local Employers•Employers•Trade/industry associations, local WIB•Advisory Boards

Supply•CCC Curriculum of Programs•Other training providers in region•CCCCAOE•AACC/DOL for national models •Conferences

Outcomes•CTE Employment Outcomes Survey•Perkins•UI

Skills LMI experts say are requiredTechnical•Identify and find information using EDD, EMSI, Burning Glass, OMI, CCC curriculum of programs, CTE Employment Outcomes survey findings, etc.

Research Skills•Assess reliability of data sources•Cross-walk occupational categories btw CC, EDD, DOL•Design and conduct interviews, surveys etc. w. employers and other stakeholders

Analytical Identify right questions to ask

Integrate information from different sources/perspectives

Relate local to regional, state, national information and trends

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Summary Findings

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Four types of LMI perspectives required

CTE Program

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Reliability, integration of data collected WITHIN each perspective

CTE Program

•Reliability of each source consulted

•Relationship of source to other information collected regarding demand

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Integration of info ACROSS perspectives

CTE Program

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•Relationship of each perspective to the other three•Every perspective is changing over time

Who can/should do this?

CTE Program

Tools, training needed?

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Advice from the expertsStatewide Director:”Make sure you don’t reinvent the wheel.”

Expert analyst: “Don’t just dump the data, analyze it and pull out what is important.”

CACT Director: “The information is only as good as your understanding of the information.”

VP Instruction:” Information is dangerous if you don’t know how to use it.”

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More advice and quotes from the expertsProgram Director: “EDD data is advantageous because it is

“noncontroversial”

Dept Chair: “What I’m required to use to meet reporting requirements lacks relevance compared to information obtained from actual employers”

VP Instruction:”Case studies is a good way to engage faculty with LMI.”

Faculty leader: “Presentation approach makes a big difference

in engaging faculty in LMI conversations.”

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Starting the conversation about training opportunities and toolsoTechnical training in web search and retrievaloTechnical training in compiling data and

assessing the validity of each statistic oTraining in approach/methodology (four different

perspectives)oTraining in how to conduct the analysis:

Analysis w/I each perspectiveAnalysis integrating perspectives

oTraining in how to present the findings

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What is at stake? Cost of not using LMI or using it incorrectly

can be high

Benefits of informed use can be significant Providing students with best selection of courses

and programs w/I colleges and w/I regions

Providing training that reflects local and regional employers’ (changing) needs and priorities

Increasing capacity to secure federal grants

Increasing capacity to engage employers in regional conversations and in real partnerships

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Conversation about findings and next steps

•What do you think about these findings?•Is the framework complete? Accurate? Helpful?•What is the best way to ensure that colleges use LMI to inform CTE decision making?•What are reasonable expectations?•How can practitioners be helped access the many resources available?•What is the next step?

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Thank you

Thank you to those who contributed their time and expertise by participating in the interviews

Centers of Excellence for including in their annual survey our research question

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For more informationEva Schiorring, Senior Researchereschiorring@rpgroup.org

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