Community College Case-Making Tools: Using Lightcast™ to Conduct Supply and Demand Analysis.

Abstract:  The Community College Baccalaureate Case-Making Tool supports the analysis of supply and demand for occupations or sets of occupations and the programs of study that will supply graduates for them (i.e., degree supply1 and occupational demand2). It is focused on supporting supply and demand analysis for community college baccalaureate (CCB) degree program development, although the methods described can be adapted for use in any program development context where it is important to describe the occupational supply and demand. It can be used by states, community college districts, or individual community colleges and will be of service to faculty and staff who have been tasked with developing a proposal for a new CCB degree program. It can also be used for case-making for new legislation authorizing CCB degrees at the state level. It may also be helpful in reviewing existing CCB programs. The tool relies heavily on the Lightcast data analytics package as well as data from other federal, state, and local levels, including data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) occupational projections and earnings data and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), all of which are made available through the Lightcast data analytics product.  As this project continues to unfold in 2024, additional tools being developed and disseminated by Bragg & Associates, Inc. and the Community College Baccalaureate Association (CCBA) include: • CCB Program Mapping Tool • CCB Spatial Access Tool • CCB Equity and Inclusion Tool

Link to Full Research Document (URL): https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:47f54a3a-9402-427b-82a4-863709e1ea27

Reference: Harmon, T. (2024, March). Community college case-making tools: Using Lightcast™ to conduct supply and demand analysis. Workforce Enterprises Inc. https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:47f54a3a-9402-427b-82a4-863709e1ea27