Senior Advisor Dr. Carrie Henderson presented at the virtual 2024 Florida Association for Institutional Research. Carrie discussed how postsecondary institutions in Florida can leverage the statewide Master Credentials List, Labor Market Estimating Conference products, and FloridaCommerce data to inform local decision-making.
Highlights From The Presentation
In the age of data-informed decision-making with advances to publicly and privately available labor market information, postsecondary education leaders may become bogged down trying to answer a simple question: does my community or state need this certificate or degree?
“Florida postsecondary institutions are fortunate to have a wealth of data on the workforce at the county, regional, and state levels. Yet, leveraging these data to derive insights for informing programmatic decisions can be daunting. Focusing on key, meaningful workforce indicators can aid leaders in navigating through vast datasets effectively.”
During this session, participants were exposed to the following data sources:
Master Credentials List (MCL): The Master Credentials List, required by the Reimagining Education and Career Help (REACH) Act, is a comprehensive list of state-approved degree and non-degree credentials of value that prepare Floridians for in-demand occupations.
Labor Market Estimating Conference: LMEC products include statewide and regional data that shed light on critical occupational areas of concern, critical occupational groups of concern, and occupational wages based on supply and demand data.
FloridaCommerce Employment Projections: FloridaCommerce produces regional, county, and statewide employment data to show eight-year demand for specific industries and occupations.
Carrie also outlined how postsecondary institutions can leverage these data sources to identify how their existing programs are meeting labor market demand and to consider the creation of new programs based on areas with the most need.