An economic development strategy can only succeed if it is supported by a consistent workforce development strategy that recognizes the skill needs of the region’s key industries. We strongly believe that effective economic development is impossible without effective workforce development. Thus, a detailed workforce analysis should be a component of any comprehensive economic development strategy.
Beginning with the Columbus Chamber’s work on addressing central Ohio’s healthcare workforce shortage in 2003, Bill LaFayette has focused on analyzing, projecting, and identifying skill needs of a successful workforce. Regionomics offers this experience to help clients understand their region’s or industry’s workforce needs.
Bill LaFayette is coauthor of Knowledge Economies and Knowledge Work (Emerald Publishing 2019). Bill collaborated with Wayne Curtis of Curtis Concepts, LLC, Denise Bedford of Georgetown University, and Seema Iyer of the University of Baltimore. This practitioner-oriented book discusses the transformation of the global economy from an industrial economy to a knowledge economy, and the implications of that transformation for workers, organizations, communities, and the definition of capital.
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Case Studies
Informing higher education curricula. The five regional campuses of Ohio University in southern and southeastern Ohio serve mostly local residents in rural areas of the state. The campuses needed a better understanding of the workforce needs of local industries. In collaboration with the Ohio Strategic Training Center, Regionomics identified 30 to 40 industries with the greatest concentration and potential growth in each local area. Each campus selected focus industries based on campus strengths. Regionomics identified crucial occupations in each of these industries, projected long-term growth and replacement needs, and determined the skills needed to make workers in the occupation successful and productive. Focus groups of leaders in each industry were convened to discuss and add practical depth to the results. These focus groups provided the added benefit of strengthening relationships between the campus and business. The campuses subsequently incorporated the insights from this project into their academic programs, producing graduates who are better prepared for successful careers in their hometowns.
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Helping industries understand needs and recruit workforce. Ohio’s insurance sector is an important component of the state’s economy with above-average growth and statewide employment 20% greater than average. However, the sector was not able to attract enough workforce to sustain its growth. Regionomics completed an initial report and two subsequent updates projecting the long-term need by occupation for each insurance-related industry and identifying the necessary skills in the most critical occupations. The results were used in a comprehensive initiative to attract workers to the industry statewide, establish college programs, and ensure that the coursework in those programs matches the needs of the industry.
Devising workforce strategies to strengthen communities. Some neighborhoods on the South Side of Columbus, Ohio, face significant economic challenges. Poverty levels are high despite fairly low unemployment rates. Working with South Side Thrive and focusing on strong industries in the South Side, Regionomics found that thousands of workers will be needed over the coming decade in jobs requiring only a high school diploma, possibly with short-term training. These positions pay substantially more than these workers are earning in retail and hospitality jobs. The study also specified the detailed knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to succeed in the identified jobs. The results were shared with Aspyr, the local workforce investment board, and IMPACT Community Action, both of which are implementing the strategies in the South Side. The report is available on the Publications and Studies page.