Success Story

WVUP Needs Assessment

Needs assessments are conducted to identify, inform, and select the right priorities to invest in with limited resources.

WVUP contacted D Byers to complete a comprehensive needs assessment to:

  • Engage stakeholders
  • Define stakeholder perspectives on WVUP and its offerings
  • Illuminate needs of local residents
  • Offer recommendations for improvement

Our needs assessment outlined industry demand and alignment, stakeholder perspectives on community engagement, and regional needs and challenges to inform strategic and programmatic decisions for West Virginia University-Parkersburg as it looks to continue to positively impact the region. We engaged with 22 stakeholders including employers, K-12, guidance counselors, workforce and economic development leaders, community service provider leaders, and funders.

We conducted key informant interviews and an initial labor market scan on Lightcast (formerly EMSI/Burning Glass) to prioritize industries and occupational clusters for additional research. Our key informant interviews identified the top 5 target industries/occupation clusters on which to focus more in-depth, strategic analysis. We used Lightcast to explore and validate the magnitude of demand for the 5 target industries and occupations identified. The region of analysis included WVUP’s 7 service counties (Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Tyler, Wirt and Wood) plus Washington County, Ohio.

Some questions we explored:

  • What jobs are in demand now and in the near future, to inform program decisions?
  • Which industry recognized credentials are needed for in-demand jobs?
  • Is WVU-P missing opportunities to provide education and training that regional employers need?
  • How might industry partners help meet the need for technical faculty?
  • What is the ideal delivery structure for upskilling workers?
  • What are the perspectives and opinions of WVU-P from regional stakeholders?
  • Are they promoters of WVU-P?

A community engagement survey was also administered and received 151 responses. The survey was designed to measure the perspectives and opinions of WVUP from regional stakeholders such as employers, K-12, guidance counselors, higher education leaders, workforce and economic development leaders, community service provider leaders, funders and policymakers. The team conducted four focus groups of employers who shared additional insight on credentials, anticipated demand and impact if those jobs are left unfilled, solutions to the technical faculty gaps, and opinions on the ideal time(s) to upskill incumbent workers.

These include:

  • Government & Business Services (industry) + Finance & Business Administration (occupation)
  • Manufacturing Specialties: Upstream Metal, Plastics, Medical Device, Biopharma (industry) + Production (occupation)
  • Construction Products & Services (industry) + Construction & Trades (occupation)
  • Recovery & Mental Health Services (industry & occupation)
  • In addition, stakeholders noted a particular need for training related to a fifth occupation cluster, Supervision and Management, particularly related to hospitality. Through interviews and focus groups, stakeholders expressed several needs that cut across industries and occupations.

In addition, stakeholders noted a particular need for training related to a fifth occupation cluster, Supervision and Management, particularly related to hospitality. Through interviews and focus groups, stakeholders expressed several needs that cut across industries and occupations.

These include:

  • The need for more regional workforce preparedness to attract business investment
  • A challenge hiring entry-level and professional workers
  • The need for coordinated educational and career pathways. Through the survey, some stakeholders encouraged WVU-P to increase its connections to high schools, to promote more early college completion and strengthen its recruitment pipeline.

In addition to focusing on target industries and occupations, stakeholders recommend WVUP:

  • Consider developing a hospitality management certificate program
  • Tailor marketing messages to industry and prospective students
  • Increase awareness of Learn and Earn and incumbent worker training options
  • Participate in regional efforts to develop educational and career pathways

Through the survey, and echoed in the interviews and focus groups, stakeholders appear to believe strongly in WVU-P’s positive impact on the region and its importance to economic vitality. On a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), stakeholders gave an average rating of 4.43 to the statement, “Overall, our region is better off because of WVU-P”, and a 4.22 to the statement, “WVU-P’s expertise is important to building a strong future for the community.” Although scores across all statements were high, the greatest opportunities for improvement, according to survey takers, are in idea innovation (score of 3.80), participation in projects that address community needs (3.89), and contribution to higher wages (3.90). Note, again, stakeholders were highly positive, on average, about even the lowest-rated statements.

    WVU-P will be utilizing the needs assessment report as a basis for strategic planning as it helped WVU-P identify, understand, and prioritize needs which could be addressed to improve performance. Identifying priority needs is the first in a series of closely tied steps that also include understanding root causes that contribute to the areas of need, selecting evidence-based strategies that address those areas, preparing for and implementing selected strategies, and evaluating whether those strategies are addressing improvement needs and achieving desired results. The needs assessment is the beginning step of a continuous improvement cycle being undertaken at WVU-P.

    Testimonial:

    “The needs assessment has delineated industry demand and alignment, stakeholder perspectives on community engagement, and regional needs and challenges. It will inform strategic and programmatic decisions for West Virginia University-Parkersburg as we continue to positively impact the region by driving economic growth and providing life-changing educational opportunities. We highly recommend other entities seeking needs assessments contact D Byers & Associates.”

    —Dr. Torie Jackson, Interim President

    Needs assessments are conducted to identify, inform, and select the right priorities to invest in with limited resources.

    WVUP contacted D Byers to complete a comprehensive needs assessment to:

    • Engage stakeholders
    • Define stakeholder perspectives on WVUP and its offerings
    • Illuminate needs of local residents
    • Offer recommendations for improvement

    Our needs assessment outlined industry demand and alignment, stakeholder perspectives on community engagement, and regional needs and challenges to inform strategic and programmatic decisions for West Virginia University-Parkersburg as it looks to continue to positively impact the region. We engaged with 22 stakeholders including employers, K-12, guidance counselors, workforce and economic development leaders, community service provider leaders, and funders.

    We conducted key informant interviews and an initial labor market scan on Lightcast (formerly EMSI/Burning Glass) to prioritize industries and occupational clusters for additional research. Our key informant interviews identified the top 5 target industries/occupation clusters on which to focus more in-depth, strategic analysis. We used Lightcast to explore and validate the magnitude of demand for the 5 target industries and occupations identified. The region of analysis included WVUP’s 7 service counties (Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Tyler, Wirt and Wood) plus Washington County, Ohio.

    Some questions we explored:

    • What jobs are in demand now and in the near future, to inform program decisions?
    • Which industry recognized credentials are needed for in-demand jobs?
    • Is WVU-P missing opportunities to provide education and training that regional employers need?
    • How might industry partners help meet the need for technical faculty?
    • What is the ideal delivery structure for upskilling workers?
    • What are the perspectives and opinions of WVU-P from regional stakeholders?
    • Are they promoters of WVU-P?

    A community engagement survey was also administered and received 151 responses. The survey was designed to measure the perspectives and opinions of WVUP from regional stakeholders such as employers, K-12, guidance counselors, higher education leaders, workforce and economic development leaders, community service provider leaders, funders and policy makers. The team conducted four focus groups of employers who shared additional insight on credentials, anticipated demand and impact if those jobs are left unfilled, solutions to the technical faculty gaps, and opinions on the ideal time(s) to upskill incumbent workers.

    These include:

    • Government & Business Services (industry) + Finance & Business Administration (occupation)
    • Manufacturing Specialties: Upstream Metal, Plastics, Medical Device, Biopharma (industry) + Production (occupation)
    • Construction Products & Services (industry) + Construction & Trades (occupation)
    • Recovery & Mental Health Services (industry & occupation)

    In addition, stakeholders noted a particular need for training related to a fifth occupation cluster, Supervision and Management, particularly related to hospitality. Through interviews and focus groups, stakeholders expressed several needs that cut across industries and occupations.

    In addition, stakeholders noted a particular need for training related to a fifth occupation cluster, Supervision and Management, particularly related to hospitality. Through interviews and focus groups, stakeholders expressed several needs that cut across industries and occupations.

    These include:

    • The need for more regional workforce preparedness to attract business investment
    • A challenge hiring entry-level and professional workers
    • The need for coordinated educational and career pathways. Through the survey, some stakeholders encouraged WVU-P to increase its connections to high schools, to promote more early college completion and strengthen its recruitment pipeline.

    In addition to focusing on target industries and occupations, stakeholders recommend WVUP:

    • Consider developing a hospitality management certificate program
    • Tailor marketing messages to industry and prospective students
    • Increase awareness of Learn and Earn and incumbent worker training options
    • Participate in regional efforts to develop educational and career pathways

    Through the survey, and echoed in the interviews and focus groups, stakeholders appear to believe strongly in WVU-P’s positive impact on the region and its importance to economic vitality. On a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), stakeholders gave an average rating of 4.43 to the statement, “Overall, our region is better off because of WVU-P”, and a 4.22 to the statement, “WVU-P’s expertise is important to building a strong future for the community.” Although scores across all statements were high, the greatest opportunities for improvement, according to survey takers, are in idea innovation (score of 3.80), participation in projects that address community needs (3.89), and contribution to higher wages (3.90). Note, again, stakeholders were highly positive, on average, about even the lowest-rated statements.

    WVU-P will be utilizing the needs assessment report as a basis for strategic planning as it helped WVU-P identify, understand, and prioritize needs which could be addressed to improve performance. Identifying priority needs is the first in a series of closely tied steps that also include understanding root causes that contribute to the areas of need, selecting evidence-based strategies that address those areas, preparing for and implementing selected strategies, and evaluating whether those strategies are addressing improvement needs and achieving desired results. The needs assessment is the beginning step of a continuous improvement cycle being undertaken at WVU-P.

    Testimonial:

    “The needs assessment has delineated industry demand and alignment, stakeholder perspectives on community engagement, and regional needs and challenges. It will inform strategic and programmatic decisions for West Virginia University-Parkersburg as we continue to positively impact the region by driving economic growth and providing life-changing educational opportunities. We highly recommend other entities seeking needs assessments contact D Byers & Associates.”

    —Dr. Torie Jackson, Interim President

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