It has been almost a decade since Texas (its Labor Market and Career Information Department—LMCI) became one of the first states in the nation to incorporate the new O*NET database into an end-user application. The skills transferability system known as OSCAR embraced major sections of O*NET and integrated it with labor market projections and wage data. The result was a tool that education and workforce customers alike were able to use in assisting students and clients in formulating career plans. "The on-line Interest Profiler and Work Values assessments in OSCAR have significantly improved our ability to put together career plans for our clients," explained a Texas workforce center counselor.
Texas continues to rely on the power of O*NET. Although the O*NET database has been infused into all of the Texas LMCI information products, two current efforts stand out. One application is the Strategic Workforce Assessment Project (SWAP). SWAP was conceived as a way to identify the critical workforce needs of the Texas Governor's industry cluster initiative. Encouraged by the Texas Workforce Commission management team, Richard Froeschle turned to LMCI IT Projects Manager John Romanek to explore the potential of using the O*NET Detailed Work Activities (DWA) data base as a proxy for occupational skill sets. "John and I discussed the O*NET DWAs and what it would take to create an Internet application that automated a process of analyzing industry clusters, created custom cluster staffing patterns, and built occupational skill sets—with complete user interactivity," Froeschle recalls . "Shortly thereafter, John began to build the industry and occupational data files and mocked up screen flows. More importantly, he dove into the DWA data base and began an extensive and rigorous analysis of how that data base could be used. Next thing I knew, he'd created DWA location quotients and the application had begun to take shape. His work has been nothing short of amazing."
The SWAP application continues to expand, with new report and operational features being added every month. Companion efforts have also formed, including the assignment of DWAs to Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) and the regionalization of the O*NET DWA statements to match Texas employer hiring requirements. "Our goal is for Texas economic development leaders to be able to identify key industry clusters in their regions, know the critical occupations for those clusters, and then be able to identify specific work activities that the regional education and training system must be able to provide. The SWAP effort is all about better connecting education and the economy for economic development through a commonly accepted, integrated data system," summarized Froeschle. He credits Mr. Romanek, and applications programmers Mark Duksta, Brad Spears and Carey Bowman for turning a theoretical discussion about cluster skill sets into the reality of the SWAP software. "There have been more than a few data and technical programming hurdles to overcome, and we've been ambitious in stretching the data to give us actionable outputs," Romanek emphasizes. "We still have a ways to go. The O*NET data gave us a great starting point and a solid foundation."
Eventually, the Texas LMCI staff intend to integrate the SWAP strategic planning system with Texas CARES, their automated career information software for individual career decision-making, through the use of the O*NET DWA statements. This future application of O*NET data to CARES will categorize regional skill needs through the DWA reports from SWAP, as well as assess the skill sets of individuals in the workforce whose information resides in Texas CARES. This combination of data will allow economic developers to compare the skill strengths they need with skills people already have and to pinpoint where individuals could become part of the skilled available workforce by taking several courses. To date, people have needed to complete entire higher education programs to be recognized as having a skill.
Texas CARES already incorporates lay titles and the Knowledge Sets, Skills, and Abilities data from O*NET. "Having the Detailed Work Activity statements will give us another way to identify potential skill transferability," explains Froeschle.
"Employers are looking for workers who know how to meet specific requirements of various jobs. A formal credential would be great, but it doesn't supersede being able to find workers who simply know how to do the job." Froeschle emphasizes the importance of core academics and workplace basics for all workers, but he believes that the O*NET DWA data base is a good bet when exacting occupational skill requirements. "We are very much in favor of stronger core academics and the need for better soft skills instruction. SWAP is built on the premise that both of these areas will be addressed by the education and training system."
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