EMSI Conference 2012 A Success

EMSI’s second annual users’ conference was a huge success. Spanning three days last week in the beautiful north Idaho town of Coeur d’Alene, the conference saw over 170 clients, speakers, and EMSI representatives gathered together — almost double the turnout in 2011, but still small enough for warm, friendly interaction. The presentations were great, the social events were a blast, and the weather (after the wind blew itself out) turned grand.

Highlights

The preconference kicked off with a welcome breakfast and orientation for new users. That was a big hit, as was the indoor reception with killer hors d’oeuvres on Monday evening.

The next morning, EMSI CEO Andrew Crapuchettes made the exciting announcement that EMSI has teamed up with CareerBuilder. (Read more about that here.)

One of the conference’s most popular features was a learning lab on Monday and Tuesday afternoons. Clients scheduled time to meet with EMSI experts, and found the one-on-one sessions with EMSI reps who specialize in Analyst, Career Coach, and consulting both helpful and inspiring.

Tuesday’s dinner cruise on Lake Coeur d’Alene saw nearly 150 people on board the Mish-an-Nock for a two-hour glide around the lake. With delicious food and clear, nippy weather, the cruise was chief of the conference’s networking opportunities.

Presentations

Here is a quick rundown of the presentations. Click on the title to download the PowerPoint (or link to the video) for yourself. You can also find comprehensive speaker bios on our conference website.

Labor Market Outlook

William Anderson

Chief Economist for the Research and Analysis Bureau, NV Dept. Of Employment, Training, and Rehabilitation

Bob Uhlenkott

Chief Research Officer, Idaho Department of Labor

Sue Mukherjee

Director, Center for Workforce Information & Analysis, Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry

Bill Anderson, Bob Uhlenkott, and Sue Mukherjee together discussed new trends and data developments, and the role labor market information agencies serve. Users were eager to hear their examples on how they incorporated EMSI capabilities into their data/analytical offerings.

Higher Ed: Findings of 2011 Wine Cluster Study & Implications for Planning

Dr. Steve VanAusdle

President, Walla Walla Community College

Dr. VanAusdle’s presentation covered Walla Walla Community College’s flourishing wine program, and explained how this critical industry sector helped the college prepare students for good careers. Read more about WWCC’s wine program, and watch a recent PBS NewsHour segment on the college, here.

Workforce & Economic Development: How Workforce Professionals Can Use Data to Cement Their Local Marketing Efforts

Patrick Holwell

Workforce Economist at Arapahoe/Douglas Works!

Dawn Gardner

Business Development Supervisor at Arapahoe/Douglas Works!

Patrick Holwell and Dawn Gardner discussed how Arapahoe/Douglas Works! developed and executed a superior business development services package, which included customizing EMSI datasets with great results in Colorado.

Research & Data: Exploring National & Regional Trends With EMSI Data

Mark Schill

Vice President of esearch, Praxis Strategy Group

Mark Schill presented examples of how Praxis Strategy Group and NewGeography.com use EMSI data to identify economic and regional trends in their national policy reports and rankings, which are regularly featured by national media outlets.

Higher Ed: Career Info & College Outreach

Todd Oldham

Vice President for Economic Development & Innovative Workforce Services, Monroe Community College

Monroe Community College doesn’t just have an impressive new initiative to reach students and help them align their program of study to in-demand occupations within the Greater Rochester economy. The college is also using regional labor market data to promote growing middle-skill occupations, and address shortages in the education-to-workforce pipeline.

Workforce & Economic Development: A Different WIB

Chuck Flacks

Research Director for San Diego Workforce Partnership

San Diego Workforce Partnership is not your typical workforce investment board. Rather than being tied to a specific government agency, it operates as an independent 501(c)(3). Over the past few years, it has relied more and more on EMSI data to inform program development, create RFPs, distribute Individual Training Accounts, and respond to grant proposals from D.C. and the state.

Research & Data: The Economic Contribution of the Communities in Schools Program

Dr. Heather Clawson

Vice President of Research, Evaluation, and Innovation

EMSI recently completed a project for Communities In Schools, a national federation of non-profit organizations dedicated to reducing school dropout and increasing graduation through a proven model of integrated student services. The national office wanted to answer the question, “Is CIS a good investment?” Dr. Clawson’s presentation covered the model that EMSI developed. She also illustrated the results of that model and how the data is now being used to raise the bar on what investors should expect as part of the portfolio of evidence available from non-profit organizations.

Read more about the study here.

Fostering Partnerships between Employers & Community Colleges

Karen Elzey

Director, Skills for America’s Future

In an increasingly competitive global economy, America’s economic strength depends on the education and skills of its workers. Skills for America’s Future, an employer-led initiative of the Aspen Institute, was created to foster partnerships between employers and community colleges to address America’s pressing workforce preparedness issue.

What’s New With EMSI Data

Andrew Crapuchettes

CEO of EMSI

Andrew Crapuchettes reviewed the many updates to EMSI data that have come over the past year, and discussed the value of the new databases you can now access.

Higher Ed: Institutional Research & Data

Dr. Kevin Long

Senior Planning & Policy Analyst, Office of Planning & Institutional Assessment at Montgomery College, MD

Kevin Long discussed how his college uses a wide variety of in its strategic planning process. The presentation covered demographic data, which provided a snapshot of the previous decade’s trends; enrollment data for a clearer picture of anticipated student population; occupational data to show current aggregate gaps in associate’s and postsecondary vocational award needs; and program-to-occupation mapping to demonstrate projections for credit and non-credit programs. He also showed how the college analyzed programs such as Hospitality Manager to anticipate occupational growth/decline, using inverse staffing patterns to demonstrate growth and job openings at every educational level.

Workforce & Economic Development: Exploring Regional Economic Development With EMSI Data

Eric Long

Research Economist, Economic Development, Greater Oklahoma City Chamber

Eric Long presented examples of how a 10-county regional economic development partnership uses EMSI data to identify opportunities and provide regional comparison.

Research & Data: Input/Output

Dr. Hank Robison

EMSI’s Founder and Chief Economist 

For the past few years, EMSI has been developing a Social Accounting Matrix. Dr. Robison provided a quick, thorough lesson on what a Social Accounting Matrix actually is and how to use it.

Higher Ed: Dreams to Actions

Wayne Brown, JD

CCO of Avenue Scholars Foundation

For Avenue Scholars Foundation, Career Coach is a career GPS, inspiring and guiding students to careers they’re passionate about. Wayne Brown talked about the Avenue Scholars program and why Career Coach has been so helpful.

Workforce & Economic Development: Data-Driven Economic Development

John Owen

Advanced Data Analyst, Dayton Development Coalition

Kim Frazier

Executive Director, Strategic Analytics & Evaluation, Dayton Development Coalition

As a regional economic organization, Dayton Development Coalition uses EMSI data to identify industries, create reports, and develop plans on how to grow the region. John Owen and Kim Frazier talked about how EMSI data has helped them define local industries, identify gaps in the regional workforce, and create a way to identify at-risk companies.

Research & Data: Comparing Data Sources & Supporting Business Recruitment

Dr. Nancy Brown

Dean of Workforce Development, Walters State Community College, TN

Why would you use EMSI instead of the state’s LMI website? Dr. Brown explained how she often uses both, but has discovered that the faster, more flexible EMSI data produces attractive reports quickly and allows her to provide speedy info for grant applications, as well as respond to a wide range of data requests from local leaders. She also discussed the advantages of EMSI’s quarterly updates.

For Next Year…

We’re already working on the EMSI conference for 2013, so stay tuned! We’ll keep you posted on the exciting details as they roll out.

Please contact Gwen Burrow ([email protected]) if you have questions. Follow us @desktopecon.