Customer Snapshots II: Real-World Solutions with EMSI’s Strategic Advantage

For previously posted customer snapshots, click here.

People who are new to EMSI’s Strategic Advantage web-based analysis suite can sometimes get lost in its bewildering array of data sets, features, and terminology–and lose sight of its time-saving, productivity-boosting capabilities. That’s why we’ve collected real-world examples of how our clients use Strategic Advantage to become more efficient and more informed while saving their organizations money and leveraging additional resources. [Note: The following names and case studies are used by permission for informational purposes. They do not necessarily constitute an explicit or implicit endorsement of EMSI by the people or organizations listed.]

Workforce Investment & Development

David Blumenthal, Workforce Associate for Research and Development
Center of Workforce Innovations, Inc., Indiana
The need for accessible and accurate data is one constant in the ever-changing landscape of workforce development. To meet the Center of Workforce Innovations’ needs for occupation, industry, and demographic data, David Blumenthal uses Strategic Advantage. Its broad scope helps him perform multi-county research like the “State of the Workforce” report for Northwest Indiana, while the ability to drill down to ZIP code data helps him with detailed reports for individual companies. David says he likes to use Strategic Advantage because “its user-friendly layout provides me the capability to shift between occupations and industries, with the ability to sort, filter, or trim any report I choose.” For David and many more workforce developers like him, Strategic Advantage has become an integral part in the strategic planning process.

Higher Education

Tom Prendergast, Director of Institutional Research
North Central State College, Ohio
Tom Prendergast uses Strategic Advantage (SA) for successful grant writing. Recently, he and North Central State College used SA to support the application and subsequent gain of a Regional Innovation Grant (RIG) for his region. Armed with data on the aging workforce, dislocated workers, and the increasing demand for health care services, North Central State College and the other regional partners were able to prove their case for funding with conclusive data-driven findings on their region. Tom also used SA data to support his applications for two other recent grant successes, which brought 1 million dollars to the region for bioscience research and workforce training. Currently, Tom is focusing on the implementation phase of the RIG, and he is working closely with an EMSI consulting team to formulate a plan for transitioning laid-off workers into two focus industry sectors.

Nancy Benziger Brown, Dean of Workforce Development
Walter State Community College Center for Workforce Development, Morristown TN
Nancy Brown used EMSI data to help win a $1.95 Million Community-Based Job Training Grant. In order to do this, she used Strategic Advantage to provide data on: local emerging industries, demographics, and growth rates for several different occupations. This data helped establish need, as the per capita income was below poverty level compared to the state and nation. By identifying need and focusing on Advanced Manufacturing, especially Automotive Parts Manufacturing, Nancy and her team received the CBJTG to develop training, purchase state-of-the-art equipment and begin a career center on campus.

Nancy Ness, Tech Prep Coordinator, Selland College of Applied Technology
Boise State University, Idaho
Nancy is currently using Strategic Advantage to support a data-driven framework for program planning and program justification. With a new Southwest Idaho community college set to open in 2009, Nancy and the college program managers have been using occupation data from SA to guide program offerings. As the infrastructure for this community college is created, occupation data from SA will be used to evaluate the demand for the occupations that these programs train for. In the past, Nancy has used SA to help Southwest Idaho high schools meet Perkins IV accountability requirements and for grant writing for Boise State University Selland College of Applied Technology.

Terry Newman, Director, Contract and Community Education
Gavilian College, California
Terry Newman understands the power of detailed regional data. Gavilian College is a recent recipient of a Rural Opportunities Studies Grant, and the focus of the grant is on a rural county where detailed and up-to-date data is hard to come by. Terry is using Strategic Advantage ZIP code data to better understand this underserved region. In looking at workforce projections for this county, she has unearthed several growing occupations that went unnoticed previous to the detailed analysis. With this knowledge, Gavilian College can proactively address the competencies workers will need in order to remain in the region. This analysis will become the basis for new programs in the future. Terry’s example of data-driven regional analysis proves the importance for utilizing detailed data to address the workforce and education needs of rural communities.