CREC Project News and Updates

Analysis: Addressing the Skills Gap Starts in Your Own Office

March 3, 2016

A survey from the Chronicle of Higher Education shows that government and nonprofit employers have a more-difficult time with recent-graduate hires. Most of the issues cited involve “soft skills.”

Of the 700 employers in the survey who offered feedback on specific troubles they experienced with recent grads, most mentioned communication and critical thinking. Specifically, the employers stated that they often find candidates who cannot put ideas forward, support those concepts, and build upon them. “Soft skills” don’t just stop with communication and critical thinking. They include collaboration and respect for diversity. All too often, these people skills are becoming the value-add for new hires.

As the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), a network managed by CREC, is in the midst of planning its largest-ever conference that hones in on the talent pipeline, industries, and the economy, it’s important for to ask how it and the LMI Institute are further helping managers adapt to entry- and mid-level employees’ needs and to understand key concepts that give the new generation of workers an edge inside of economic development and as labor-market specialists. Part of C2ER’s mission is to foster learning, and we do this by conducting training and developing networks. This works hand-in-glove with the LMI Institute’s approach to provide training and professional development to state and other Labor Market Information (LMI) professionals.

While this year’s conference looks specifically at the global impact of regional partnerships, the curricula is being developed to address:

  • Communication: The ability to communicate to non-technical people in the organization, understand the business needs and deliver that feedback clearly to appropriate audiences.
  • Problem-solving: The ability to understand complex business and governmental issues and solve them with new tools and collaboration.
  • Collaboration: The ability to leverage the strengths and unique perspectives of others within the organization, and work together toward an agreed-upon solution.
  • Team-orientation: The ability to work effectively and thrive as a member of various work groups to bring greater value to the overall organization.
  • Creativity: The ability to find new and innovative approaches to performing the business at hand.

For more than a half century, economic researchers and labor market specialists have added value to state and municipal agencies after attending the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) and LMI Institute’s annual conference provides insight into the U.S. talent pool and expand knowledge on industries and the economy. This year’s event takes place June 6-10 in Minneapolis. We invite you to visit the event site and view the preliminary agenda to learn more.

About This Project

The Hidden Innovation Infrastructure: Understanding the Economic Development Role of Technician Education in the Changing Future of Work
Start Date: Jan 2022 — End Date: Jun 2023

CREC senior staff advise the Rutgers research team at the Education and Employment Research Center as the team, led by Dr. Michelle Van Noy, seeks to understand the role of technician education in economic development, with a focus on manufacturing, technology, and innovation in regional economies.

New York State (NYS) Tax Incentives
Start Date: Jan 2023 — End Date: Jun 2023

The New York State Tax Incentive Project is an initiative to better understand the state’s business offerings, their effectiveness, and how they compare to other states’ programs. The initiative has selected 26 incentives programs that it wants to focus its research efforts on. CREC has been subcontracted to handle the third part of the request, […]

Inventory of Public and Private Sources of Education and Workforce Data
Start Date: Mar 2023 — End Date: May 2023

CREC created an inventory of public and private sources of education and workforce data to increase the capacity of the public Workforce and Labor Market Information System (WLMIS) to provide relevant data for education and training providers. The inventory considers a wide array of data sources that measure important WLMIS concepts, including: Households and People […]

Evaluation (GMKPI) Framework for NCBiotech and Accelerate NC
Start Date: Nov 2022 — End Date: Feb 2023

The Life Sciences Manufacturing Coalition collaborated with experts from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, CREC, to develop an evaluation framework that ensured NCBiotech and key stakeholders were prepared to implement and evaluate projects funded by the Economic Development Administration Build Back Better Regional Challenge. These projects aimed to support innovation and impact, such as […]

New York State Advanced Industry Clusters Study
Start Date: Oct 2022 — End Date: Aug 2023

CREC is partnering with MRB Engineering, Architecture and Surveying, D.P.C. and other economic development experts to produce a comprehensive understanding of New York State’s advanced industry clusters, combining analyses of industry trends, workforce capabilities, and R&D and investment activity. Other team members include Syracuse University’s New York State Science and Technology Law Center (NYS STLC), […]

Non-Degree Credentials Research Network Staff Support
Start Date: Sep 2022 — End Date: May 2023

CREC is collaborating with the George Washington Institute of Public Policy (GWIPP) on support for the Non-degree Credentials Research Network (NCRN), a project funded through a grant from Lumina Foundation. The NCRN is a multi-disciplinary community of scholars, practitioners and policymakers that focuses on the little-understood role of certificates, certifications, and other non-degree credentials in […]

University Economic Development Association Staff Support
Start Date: Jan 2023 — End Date: Jun 2024

Since 1976, the University Economic Development Association has been working to bring together higher education institutions, private sector businesses, non-profits, government organizations, and community economic development stakeholders to create local and regional economic opportunity. UEDA, and its members, are leaders in advancing regional economic engagement fueled by higher education and represent those at the leading edge […]

California Centers of Excellence for Labor Market Research Training and Engagement Curriculum
Start Date: Dec 2021 — End Date: May 2022

CREC partnered with the California Centers of Excellence for Labor Market Research (CoE), the labor market information arm of the nation’s largest community college system, to redesign their statewide LMI training curriculum. The course resources developed provide instructors with a comprehensive, modular training library for equipping college leadership, faculty, and student-advisory staff with LMI regional […]

Workforce Assessment Study for the U.S. Virgin Islands
Start Date: Feb 2022 — End Date: Jul 2022

CREC supported J&M Global Solutions (J&M) and EntreWorks Consulting in performing a workforce assessment study for the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). The study was designed to offer a “deep dive” into the USVI’s workforce and the training and education systems that support it. For this project, CREC provided data and analytical support relevant to all […]

Counting Credentials in Alabama
Start Date: Jan 2022 — End Date: Aug 2022

Working collaboration with Credential Engine, CREC conducted research designed to help the Alabama Governor’s Office of Education and Workforce Transformation (GOEWT) in developing an approach to measuring how well the state is doing in measuring its postsecondary educational attainment goal. Through collaborative research with GOEWT and Credential Engine, CREC connected with Alabama subject matter experts, […]

About the Client

Credential Engine

CREC proposes to continue its work in counting credentials, but we also seek to generate a more thorough understanding of the accessibility of credentials for Americans by counting the number of credentials by state, examining the types of credentials offered, and better understanding what organizations offer these credentials.  In addition, CREC seeks to conduct preliminary […]