It is important to keep current with your local labor market data as they pertain to high-skill, high-wage, high-demand occupations. The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) website at http://www.twc.state.tx.us has multiple tools you can use to ensure your decision making is based on current data.
One useful tool is the Standardized Occupational Components for Research and Analysis of Trends in the Employment System (SOCRATES). You can find SOCRATES at http://socrates.cdr.state.tx.us. SOCRATES allows the user to identify a specific labor market area and cut the data from a list of established criteria.
From the TWC website, locate SOCRATES. Then follow these steps:
- Select Regional Occupational Evaluation
- Select Region
- Select desired weight for each criterion
- Filter by wage (at least $15.14/hour to $9999/hour for high wage)
- Filter by education (any educational attainment past high school; use Ctrl to select multiple for high skill)
- Perform the Occupational Evaluation
SOCRATES will determine the high-demand occupations for the labor market region selected. Many schools use these data to demonstrate areas of need for course offerings and program areas. Below is an example of a data graph developed using this process.
To make this process even more dynamic, include data sets such as student interest and current career course offerings to provide a clear picture as to how your school may be meeting the needs of today’s learner and the community.
Many school districts like to layer these data for comparison purposes:
Which sectors of the Texas economy are growing, and what career opportunities are available in your community?
Which course offerings do you have that align with workforce demands in your community and in the state?
How could your school collaborate with local employers to help students gain awareness of career opportunities?