Just as O*NET has evolved and enriched itself through its life, O*NET advocate Ben Garcia has evolved and become a source of
much information for many people. Currently Web and Database Manager of the LMI (Labor Market Information) Department,
at the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Ben started out with the Department as an economist. "I remember I was
asked to make a presentation, about 1998. I explained the new SOC codes coming to replace the DOT. I gave the briefing to
the upper management in the agency. I enjoyed that," reminisces Ben. That's when he became fascinated with the earliest O*NET.
The economist grown into database wizard adapted some of North Carolina's fledgling Navigator computer application features
and helped create the Colorado Navigator, their first Website treasure of wage data, projection information, and—the new O*NET
database that tied together so much information about individual occupations. "It was a very significant breakthrough, tying
skills to occupations and being able to link those pieces of information throughout databases. Back in the day of the DOT,
information was so job-specific, people couldn't extract information and use it meaningfully across occupation and industry
lines," recalls Garcia.
Progress continued, the department's current Website is LMI Gateway, based on the Virtual LMI product produced by Geographic
Solutions, Inc.with the O*NET database integrated into it. "Though we need O*NET for our economic work, of course, O*NET
comes to the fore in our service features for the public, with the Career Explorer portion. We have a tool where you check
off the skills you have. You save your skills in a profile. The next time you log in, you can add or subtract skills.
Another way the Gateway is integrated with O*NET data—it goes to the private job boards across the state and attaches SOC
occupational codes to every opening. Thus, you can click into that information, quickly seeing all openings of potential
interest, given your own stored skill information, close matches with occupations, and related occupations."
Ben reports that primary uses of O*NET are in resume and job description writing. He knows that O*NET is constantly helpful
in these areas because of his experience creating presentations, being a Web site and database administrator, as well as
staying in close touch with the training director who's responsible for helping the One Stop Centers' staff hone
their O*NET skills. Ben has his ear to the ground in a unique way; his department is the user help desk for everyone
who is using LMI Gateway. He knows for a fact that staff and clients are enthusiastic about using O*NET information.
"Oh, they are sold. Yes, use has been building. The data shows that the level of usage has gone up dramatically," reports
the LMI economist, turned Website developer, turned database manager.
For the past nine years Ben has been an economics teacher, for two colleges. He enjoys the interaction, the teaching,
seeing people learn through threaded discussions. He also is the outdoorsman, getting up into the mountains west of
Colorado Springs to spend time on his 10-acres, an old mining claim.
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