One of the most successful Industry Partnership programs in the United States is found in Lancaster County, Pa., where each year 3,000 to 4,000 workers are retrained to address skill gaps and help local companies remain competitive and productive. The Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board‘s program has been so effective that it has been the [...]
Jan. 11, 2010 | Posted by Joshua WrightGary Mallon and his colleagues at Greater Spokane Incorporated focus their economic development and chamber of commerce efforts not just in Spokane and Eastern Washington but also throughout a extended region that includes North Idaho. When it comes to searching through the diverse area for available, highly-trained workers—a “core asset” to the region, according to [...]
Dec. 10, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightIn southeastern Wisconsin, the methods and strategies that have been used in workforce development for years are changing. By emphasizing skills-based training rather than educational attainment, a cross-section of groups is seeking to put businesses, educators, and jobseekers on the same page. Click here for the case study in PDF format RWA Looks at Demand-Side [...]
Nov. 20, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightMonieca West is the Coordinator of Federal Programs at the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. She wrote the following piece to describe the Perkins Grant Portal that EMSI developed for ADHE. West says the Portal has received “nothing but praise” from local coordinators on how it’s streamlined the reporting process for the Perkins CTE program. [...]
Oct. 7, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightWhen a major Wisconsin manufacturer considered relocating to Oklahoma, local and state economic development professionals put on a full-court press to convince the company to stay. The results were overwhelmingly positive, offering a vibrant example of a successful business retention effort. PDF of the case study: Mercury Marine retention effort Nearly 1,900 Fond du Lac [...]
Oct. 3, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightAs the current recession continues, business incubators and accelerators have become increasingly important in helping communities and regions stabilize and even strengthen their economies. A textbook example comes from Spartanburg Community College in South Carolina, where a new accelerator has already had a major effect on its area. For a PDF of the case study [...]
Jul. 22, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightIn an attempt to generate new jobs and increase public revenues for their airport, leaders in Dayton, Ohio, and surrounding townships are looking to develop 600 acres around the city-owned airport for economic development purposes. An initial step in enhancing the area was conducting a data-driven analysis to determine which industries to target based on [...]
Jul. 9, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightTo raise awareness of job opportunities for Chicago-area displaced workers in the midst of the deep recession, a consortium of nine regional workforce boards has released a study that emphasizes the continuing demand for middle-skill workers. “While policymakers continue to focus on the need for high-skill workers,” the report states, “the need for middle-skill workers [...]
Jul. 8, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightLabor market and education data analysis from EMSI was instrumental in Central Community College’s latest grant success—a $2.17 million Community-Based Job Training Grant from the Department of Labor. The grant is targeted toward advanced manufacturing and specifically enhancing equipment and curriculum at the Midwest Center for Plastics & Design. This is the third time in [...]
Jul. 1, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightWorking in major population centers such as Los Angeles to more isolated areas like Montana and North Dakota, Praxis Strategy Group helps a wide spectrum of clients craft and implement community initiatives and business ventures. Part of PSG’s analysis includes looking at detailed data from EMSI that is not constrained by typical geographical boundaries. PSG [...]
Jun. 19, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightWith manufacturing sites shutting down and the unemployment rate approaching 14%, the need for career and job-placement services has become vital in the Pendleton, SC, area. To help meet this demand and refine its own program evaluation process, Tri-County Technical College (TCTC) is using Job Finder, a new career exploration tool from EMSI that takes [...]
May. 27, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightJay Pryor Business Consultant Heartland Works, Inc. Topeka, Kansas Jay Pryor uses EMSI’s labor market and impact analysis when he has data requests from agencies in the Topeka area and adjoining counties that require a timely response. Recently a regional chamber of commerce approached Pryor looking for economic impact assessments of three bids for a [...]
May. 22, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightFor administrators at Tidewater Community College, taking a careful look at regional labor market trends and projections has become an essential element of program development. A prime example is TCC’s nursing school, which got a significant boost thanks to a foundation that was convinced through timely data to donate $1.4 million. For a PDF of [...]
May. 18, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightBethany Chaney Program Advisor YouthBuild USA Carrboro, North Carolina Bethany Chaney uses EMSI’s data analysis to help leaders and low-income students in local YouthBuild programs get a feel for high-growth, high-demand occupations in their area and understand the skills and competencies needed to fit those jobs. Chaney works as a program advisor from Carrboro, NC, [...]
May. 15, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightWith the recent closing of a major GM plant and the shuttering/downsizing of other companies, few areas have felt the impact of the recession more than southwest Wisconsin. To respond, local planners are using labor market data and regional partnerships to help the area gradually recover. For a PDF of the case study click here [...]
May. 8, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightPam Matheson Research Specialist Greenfield Community College Greenfield, Massachusetts A data-driven regional report from EMSI has been instrumental in Greenfield Community College’s overhaul of its strategic enrollment management plan. The “Regional Scan and Program Demand” report gave Pam Matheson and her colleagues vital demographic and education data, as well as a look at northwest Massachusetts’ [...]
May. 5, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightMid-Plains Community College in North Platte, Nebraska, had an $89.3 million impact in 2006-07 for its 18-county service area, a recent EMSI impact study concluded. That total comes from the accumulated credits of former and current MPCC students, which result in higher earnings and increased employer profits. In his review of the EMSI study, Dr. [...]
Apr. 24, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightRebecca Bloomquist Special Projects Coordinator – High Country Workforce Development Board Region D High Country Council of Governments Boone, North Carolina Rebecca Bloomquist used EMSI’s database of labor market trends and projections to help Appalachian State University target high-growth industries and occupations for one of its college awareness programs. GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and [...]
Apr. 23, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightLike much of the Rust Belt, north central Ohio has been hit hard by the manufacturing sector’s decline. In the last two years, however, regional education providers and local planners have used a bioscience initiative to help create high-wage opportunities for the workforce in a predominantly rural area. For a PDF of the case study: [...]
Apr. 22, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightWhen Palm Beach Community College began to investigate adding what would be its first-ever bachelor’s program, it made sure to pick an offering that would meet the needs of a high-growth regional industry. After surveying industry trends and their associated workforce needs, PBCC opted for a four-year applied science program in supervision and management. To [...]
Apr. 21, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightSince the 1970s, former industrial sites in Rome, NY, have deteriorated, leaving behind abandoned buildings after the closure of companies like General Cable Corporation. City leaders, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other organizations have started to clean up the plots of land and use them for redevelopment purposes. To read the case study in PDF [...]
Apr. 7, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightWith Alabama lawmakers bracing for difficult budget issues in the 2009 legislative session, one state-funded organization that provides critical workforce training and economic development incentives decided to take a proactive approach to show its value with a dollar-and-cents assessment. To read the case study in PDF format: ROI report helps Alabama training institute demonstrate its [...]
Mar. 25, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightA record number of home foreclosures and soaring unemployment have left the Ocala, Florida, region trying to cope with the economic slowdown. To help people get back to work, the workforce board and its partners are preparing the area’s labor force for a proposed $17 billion nuclear plant. To read the case study in PDF [...]
Mar. 19, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightLabor market projections from EMSI helped the San Bernardino Community College District land a $2 million Community-Based Job Training Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor that will go toward a Nanotechnology Training Center. The announcement comes on the heels of a $400,000 grant SBCCD was awarded in 2007 from the California Community College’s Chancellor’s [...]
Mar. 16, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightMary Beth Marshall Executive Director DuPage Workforce Board Lisle, Illinois EMSI’s labor market and education data played a key role in a Workforce Boards of Metropolitan Chicago report that highlights the growing need to bolster the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills of the region’s workforce. The Chicago area has dealt with a rash [...]
Mar. 4, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightWith California community colleges seeking to understand how the growth of green jobs will affect workforce education and training, the state’s 10 Centers of Excellence came together to discuss how best to approach the issue. One of the outcomes for Michelle Marquez, director of the Central Valley Region Center of Excellence, was to dive into [...]
Mar. 3, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightAcross the country, states are adapting to tough economic conditions by trimming higher education budgets. And even though most lawmakers recognize the important role community and technical colleges play in the development of regional economies, two-year schools continue to face massive cuts. To make sure that the state of Washington continues to recognize and understand [...]
Feb. 17, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightShortly after Bill Finch took office as Mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 2008, he started the Small and Minority Business Resource Center (SMBRC). Its goal is to help small business owners thrive by providing training and assistance they can use to earn construction, architectural, and/or engineering contracts. One of the center’s first projects was to [...]
Feb. 12, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightDick Seib Research and Planning Specialist Western Technical College La Crosse, Wisconsin Western Technical College has used a “Regional Scan and Program Demand” report produced by EMSI as an essential resource for planning for educational programs to support regional workforce needs. Before the customized report, information about occupations and industries in the college region in [...]
Feb. 2, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightHolly Peoples Director of Business Services Michigan Works! Job Force Board Escanaba, Michigan With Michigan’s unemployment rate hovering near 10%, the highest in the U.S., Holly Peoples at Michigan Works! Job Force Board understands the value of assessing dislocated workers’ skill sets and looking for crosswalks to high-demand jobs. That sort of transition analysis is [...]
Feb. 2, 2009 | Posted by Joshua WrightThe EMSI Blog provides data, links, articles, and other information related to labor market trends, regional economics and workforce and economic development.
Joshua Wright is a member of the EMSI marketing team and manages the EMSI blog. If you have any questions, comments, or article ideas, please email him.
