New Geography of Skills

Regional Skill Shapes for the New Learning Ecosystem

Strada Institute for the Future of Work, in partnership with Lightcast, introduces the concept of skill shapes: a real-time analysis of the labor market that looks at the unique skill demands associated with specific career fields, regions, and individuals. Skill shapes provide a concrete method any region can use to identify local talent gaps for any industry and calibrate learning pathways to fill them.

Strada hopes insights from this report prompt employers, educators, and state and regional leaders to embrace this approach so that they might educate and train workers more effectively.

Every region has its own unique skill shape, driven by regional labor market dynamics, especially the unique mix of employers and dominant industries.
Skill shape analyses can help educators better align educational offerings with current workforce needs.
Regional skill shapes can inform employers’ site-selection decisions by helping them understand regional talent supplies.
Regional leaders can use skill shapes to deploy workforce dollars with precision through just-in-time training programs.

“A better understanding of skill shapes empowers stakeholders to design “precision education”—learning programs that are personalized, aligned with regional workforce demands, and efficiently designed to help learners keep pace with rapidly evolving skill demands.”