Workforce Development and Higher Education: A Strategic Role for Institutional Research

In a global economy, higher education increasingly is being asked to address workforce development needs. This is a relatively new agenda for institutional research, but one that can play directly to the skills that many institutional researchers possess and those that can be quickly developed. This volume of New Directions for Institutional Research assembles both the conceptual underpinnings of workforce development from an international perspective and provides practical information that can provide a foundation for institutional researchers to become more deeply engaged with their institutions in this critical area. This volume includes institutional case studies as well as specific techniques for gauging the market potential for new instructional programs. It concludes with a compilation of suggested projects and studies that institutional research personnel might consider on behalf of their campuses.