"Using O*NET to Implement
the Workforce Investment Act"
Connecticut Department
of Labor, Office of Research
Summary
The Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL)
used O*NET to respond to the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) requirement
that States assess:
-
current and future job opportunities in the
state
-
the skills necessary to obtain those jobs
-
the skills necessary to meet the economic
development needs of the state.
To meet this WIA requirement, CTDOL collected
labor market information and published an extensive report entitled, Choices
Today - A High Performance Workforce Tomorrow.
Occupational skills information featured
in the report was extracted from O*NET.
Choices Today provides labor market
information including:
-
economic and workforce trends
-
growing industries in Connecticut
-
occupations with the greatest demand
-
skills needed for these high demand jobs
-
Six Industry Clusters, cluster occupations,
and needed skills
-
occupational supply and demand
-
current workforce investment activities.
How is
O*NET being used?
O*NET was essential to the Choices Today
report.
Section Four of the report, which describes
skills necessary for Connecticut's high demand occupations, depended on
O*NET data and Content Model information, especially Skills and Skill Descriptions.
Section Five of the report presents O*NET
skills needed by clusters of industries that are a focus of economic development
in the State.
Who
is your target population?
Choices Today was specifically designed
for those involved in Connecticut's One-Stop employment and training system.
Stakeholders in this system include:
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Community leaders
-
Policy-makers
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Planners
-
Educators
-
Counselors
-
Service providers
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Program operators at State and local levels.
What kind
of results is O*NET helping you to achieve?
By using O*NET, CTDOL was able to save
time and meet the planning needs of the State workforce development
system.
Identifying skills requirements was a major
part of the Choices Today report. Having skills information available
through O*NET in a simple, easy-to-access format allowed CTDOL staff to
focus on collecting other data elements required by WIA.
An expected impact of the Choices Today
report is that those in Connecticut's employment and training community
will be better able to evaluate labor market supply and demand and better
target resources to address gaps.
What
are the related program initiatives?
Program initiatives that can make use of
this information include:
-
One-stop employment and training system
-
WIA
-
Economic development
-
School-to-Work
-
Welfare-to-Work.
Is
your product, program or service available for others to use?
Choices Today is available through
the Connecticut Department of Labor, Office of Research, 200 Folly Brook
Blvd., Wethersfield, CT 06109. Tele: 860/263-6275. Web Site at: www.ctdol.state.ct.us/lmi
What
other strategies make your product, program or service successful?
Good labor market information is essential
to informed workforce investment decisions.
Choices Today states, "As we strive
to meet the challenges of a changing workplace educators, counselors, planners,
and training program operators must gather the information that will make
them aware of the types of jobs in demand and the level of training required
for those jobs. Labor Market Information can aid in this process."
Strategy: combine/expand LMI with occupational
information (O*NET).
Do
you have other pertinent information?
"The Summary of Skills Needed by Connecticut's
Growing Occupations demonstrates a variety of ways in which the data can
be presented:
-
The 12 highest ranking skills (as identified
using O*NET) needed for Connecticut's top 25 jobs
-
Additional universal skills, i.e., skill required
by most occupations
-
Qualities and character traits essential for
success on the job"
Connecticut Department of Labor, Office of
Research, won First Place in the 1999 Labor Market Information Awards in
the category of Localized LMI Publication for Workforce Development for
the report, Choices Today: A High Performance Workforce Tomorrow.
Contact
information.
Adele DeFrancesco
Office of Research
Connecticut Department of Labor
200 Folly Brook Blvd.
Wethersfield, CT 06109
tele: 860/263-6275
http://www.ctdol.state.ct.us
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