SKILLS BLOG

Workforce Data Explained: Data Attracts Business in Mississippi

By Christina Peña, March 16, 2016

WDQC interviewed Domenico “Mimmo” Parisi, PhD, Director of the National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center (NSPARC), to learn how his institution uses data to inform employers about business opportunities and workforce dynamics, and spur economic growth in Mississippi. This is the fifth video in a series that showcases how states are using education, training, and workforce data to advance their skilled workforce. 

Background Information and Resources:

  • Located in Starkville at Mississippi State University, NSPARC developed and operates Mississippi LifeTracks. LifeTracks is a statewide longitudinal data system that provides information on the performance of educational institutions, the workforce, and the economy. 
     
  • NSPARC also supports Mississippi Works, which provides employment and economic information to business leaders and job seekers.
     
  • Mississippi is one of four states participating in the National Skills Coalition’s State Workforce and Education Alignment Project (SWEAP), which provides technical assistance to states, including the development of data tools for policymakers with the goal of improving workforce development.
     
  • Read WDQC’s blog on how LifeTracks helps to inform Mississippi’s policymakers. Also visit WDQC’s Mississippi page for the latest news, publications, legislation, and progress assessed against WDQC’s 13-point Blueprint survey of state efforts to develop and use longitudinal data systems.

See other videos in the Workforce Data Explained series.