One of the key provisions in the reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act (Perkins V) that funds Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs nationwide is the requirement to conduct a Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA).
While some educators may see this as a perfunctory act of compliance, if done well, it presents an exciting opportunity to create dynamic and sustainable partnerships between a community’s students (a.k.a. its future talent) and its employers.
What opportunities does a comprehensive local needs assessment create for schools, students, and communities?
If it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to build a workforce. Along with community colleges, K-12 schools represent the foundation upon which a community’s talent is built. From academics to hands-on instruction, the knowledge, skills, and abilities instilled in CTE students at the local level are the fuel that drives the success of local businesses.
These students also represent marketable talent pipelines for economic developers seeking to bring new businesses and industries into a community, along with the high-value jobs they create. And unlike Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding, which is limited to training for current in-demand jobs, Perkins funding offers the unique advantage of supporting training for future, emerging careers as well.
A community’s future is built by its CTE programs.
What’s causing the growing skills gap in today’s workforce?
Moving at the speed of business is difficult for education, and the disconnect between industry and education has rendered a mixed bag of inconsistent outcomes, including:
- The workforce participation rate remains low at 3% (far below the 66% recorded 20 years ago) as a significant number of working-age men are choosing not to work
- Individuals with less than a four-year degree remain unemployed at greater rates.
- More than 41% of recent university graduates are underemployed, with graduates of 18 majors showing underemployment rates of more than 50%.
- A recent study of teenagers by American Student Assistance revealed sharp declines in those planning to attend college after high school, alongside significantly increased interest in vocational schools, apprenticeships, and technical-skill bootcamps.
This growing shift away from the “college for all” mindset is creating earlier opportunities for properly skilled younger workers to take on roles that were previously out of reach. As a flood of current workers hit retirement age, many of these positions are opening up with no qualified workers to replace them.
How can you design and run a CLNA that drives results?
For a CLNA process to be truly transformative, it must be driven by the recipients of future talent: employers, industries, and economic developers. It requires a clear understanding of the data, a common language, a shared vision for the future, and the right conveners asking the right questions.
1. Embrace labor market data as the foundation.
Where are the jobs? What are the high-value jobs (based on income, demand, and growth)? Where are the gaps between demand for skilled talent and supply of those with the right skills and credentials?
Answering these questions is essential to making informed, future-focused decisions about education and career pathways.
That’s why Pathway2Careers (P2C) created the first-of-its-kind Labor Market Navigator. This tool simplifies complex labor market data and aligns it with The National Career Clusters® Framework, helping educators and students clearly see where opportunities lie—and how to pursue them.
2. Use common language.
Employers are not interested in the mechanics or requirements of Perkins; they just know a qualified candidate when they see one.
Break down the walls between sectors without defaulting to industry jargon. Terms like “career pathways,” “talent pipelines,” and “sector strategies” all mean the same thing, but they don’t always resonate with audiences outside those sectors. Language matters; it’s key to building a shared understanding of challenges and opportunities, which in turn encourages shared ownership of decisions, action, and investments.
3. Listen more than talk.
Employers who feel heard are more likely to bring what they have to offer to the table: partnerships in support of relevant CTE programs, greater opportunities for work-based learning, potential solutions for equipment needs, and advocacy on behalf of their education partners.
4. Be open to change.
If the data shows minimal or declining opportunities for students in established programs, shift your much-needed investment to programs where demand may be higher, like healthcare, digital technology, or advanced manufacturing. If change is needed, an effective CLNA will have cultivated a new or growing set of partners who join educators by contributing resources to support that change.
5. Choose facilitators wisely.
To ensure truly balanced and collaborative conversations, it’s important to involve voices that deeply understand each sector’s needs—but don’t stand to gain personally from the decisions made. This neutral perspective helps remove bias and levels the playing field.
Encourage participants to connect with those outside of their sector to gain a broader understanding of the issues and perspectives. Create an environment where every voice feels heard and valued. Let partnerships and collaborative efforts spring up organically, as people in one sector get to know others they may have never spoken to before.
What outcomes can a strong CLNA deliver?
Ultimately, Perkins V is about connecting students with opportunities–specifically, opportunities for living wage jobs in their own communities.
Done well, CTE programs can stem “brain drain,” in which potential talent leaves communities that have invested in their education and training, taking their skills to communities that haven’t. Employers and educators can build new and growing relationships that fling wide doors for internships, apprenticeships, teacher externships, and more. Perkins investments can prioritize programs that train students for the best jobs in their communities and equip the teachers who lead them.
When CTE programs serve as workforce generators of talent, they place schools in the powerful position of maximizing their impact on the economy as measured by the future economic impact of students and the economic vibrancy of local business and industry.
Pathway2Careers can help.
We have proven experience at the local, regional, and state level in education, CTE (including CLNA implementation), workforce development, economic development, collective impact, and community transformation. If you’re ready to move beyond compliance, we can support schools and colleges in becoming the greatest economic engines in their communities.
