NSPARC delivers data for economic dev presentation
Mississippi economic development teams learned about data that can help local regions attract and recruit new industries last week. The data workshop, sponsored by the Mississippi Economic Development Council, was presented at The Mill at MSU by faculty and researchers with the National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center (NSPARC), an MSU interdisciplinary research center that uses smart data, analytical techniques and advanced technology to develop innovative solutions, often for policymakers and state government.
“We showed how we can use data to support economic development within the state,” said Ryan Walker, NSPARC faculty fellow and assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education (CISE). “We showed them resources available to them, specifically through LifeTracks, the state longitudinal data system (SLDS), that they can use to make a better case for their local region.”
Walker was one team member participating in the workshop, along with NSPARC Executive Director Domenico “Mimmo” Parisi.
Ryan Walker
Walker, who leads research at NSPARC on projects about understanding the education pipeline, or how students and others are educated through schooling and other avenues to prepare for careers. He said information on education and workforce training is often key data that industry sectors want to know.
“If we want to recruit industry to a local region, we need to show we have a population ready to work and that we can fill any workforce gaps for a prospective employer with targeted education and training based on the industry’s needs.
“An essential economic development plan will include a detailed understanding of the educational pipeline, industry needs, and strong local partnerships. A knowledge of the education pipeline is essential to show companies that we have knowledgeable, skilled workers ready to fill positions,” Walker said.
In Mississippi, economic development teams are fortunate to have a lot of available data, he said.
“Our state is significantly ahead of other states in collecting data through the SLDS [state longitudinal data system],” said Walker. “NSPARC manages the SLDS data, and because of these available resources, we are an economic development engine.
“We don’t have to rely on national data. We can synthesize our state data and tell the Mississippi story to attract industries to come here.”
The goal, said Walker, is to get economic developers to think about, understand and use data to improve the Mississippi workforce ecosystem and education and training opportunities across the state.
For more about NSPARC, visit www.nsparc.msstate.edu. Walker may be reached at 662-325-9242.
MSU is Mississippi's leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.
Carol Gifford | NSPARC
