Senior Policy and Planning Analyst Universities of Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Session Abstract: With rising demands for accountability and a shifting labor market, workforce data are becoming essential for higher education institutions to enhance student outcomes and stay competitive. In response to major legislative acts such as the $2 trillion infrastructure investment, which increasingly requires data-driven, community-based workforce insights, institutions must adapt to support regional economic growth. By mapping Wisconsin’s energy clusters, we demonstrate how visualizing combined workforce and educational data through interactive dashboards can inform institutional research and community engagement. The presentation showcases how data-driven insights can enable universities to anticipate opportunities and identify occupation and skill gaps, optimize academic programming, and strengthen ties between universities, employers, and regional economic strategies.
Keywords: workforce, dashboard, institutional research, community engagement, program planning
