Results of an EMSI socioeconomic impact study show Pennsylvania Highlands Community College is a major economic driver in its region, contributing $49.7 million in FY2008-09 in added income and helping associate degree-earning students make $414,000 more over their working lifetime than someone with a high school diploma.
PHCC’s impacts were highlighted in a recent article in [...]

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 recipient [...]

Gary 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 [...]

In 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 Competency Needs
Over [...]

When 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 jobs at [...]

Client Snapshot: Governor’s Office of Workforce Development, Atlanta, GA
Cultivating a robust regional workforce for Georgia’s fastest-growing industries is the crux of the Work Ready Regions program developed by the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development. The initiative identifies the needs of businesses in regions of all sizes throughout Georgia and seeks to match those employers with [...]

As 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 click [...]

In 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 [...]

To 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 [...]

Labor 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 four [...]