Step 1: Need-focused Planning and Analysis
Assess Current Offerings/Conduct Gap Analysis
An important consideration during the Analysis phase is what kinds of programs currently exist that provide the kind of education and training that can fill or partially meet the labor market demand and local employer needs. Part of the Analysis phase should be used to determine where there are gaps in the supply that need to be addressed.
Conversations with employers may be used to answer a number of questions, such as:
- Where do employers currently go when seeking referrals for job openings? Do training programs exist whose graduates can meet the labor need?
- Are these programs producing the number and quality of job candidates to meet the need?
- What does the employer do to further prepare new hires for the positions?
Conversations with education and training providers may be needed to answer further questions, such as:
- What are the skill requirements or other prerequisites for existing programs?
- If current programs are unable to meet the current need, is it due to a lack of available training slots, a lack of capacity within the training provider’s organization or institution, or a lack of training candidates? Is the problem quality, quantity, capacity, or all three? Are the programs accessible to the target population?
- If there is a lack of training slots, is it due to a lack of qualified instructors, a lack of funding, a lack of space, etc.?
- If there is a lack of training candidates, is this due to insufficient basic skills or qualifications of the potential training candidates, insufficient numbers of interested trainees, or lack of outreach or awareness of programs?
- If the capacity of the institution or organization is too limited, is that due to insufficient funding or other constraints?
Women Employed’s Bridges to Careers for Low-Skilled Adults. A Program Development Guide (Henle, Jenkins, & Smith 2005) provides some useful worksheets to use when analyzing such needs.