The Reality

The closure of NASA’s space shuttle program is bringing profound changes to the economy and workforce of the “Space Coast” region, and representatives of Brevard Workforce in Brevard County, Florida are gearing up to meet those challenges.  As part of their response, Brevard Workforce is launching TORQ in a big way.

The Response

Brevard Workforce has chosen to deploy TORQ widely throughout its One-Stop system, arming Staffing Specialists, Business Services representatives, and a special Space Coast aerospace workforce transition taskforce with what they believe will be a vital tool for reemployment and economic success for the whole region.

Because of the presence of NASA and the many private suppliers and technical services in the area, the Space Coast boasts a unique concentration of scientific, engineering, and technical expertise. Brevard Workforce is calling on TORQ to help the effort to take advantage of this unique talent pool’s strengths as the region transitions into an uncertain economic future.

In September, TORQworks staff trained dozens of Brevard Workforce’s staff, including the special aerospace task force, in an in-depth, in-person session designed to get these new TORQ users up and operational as quickly and effectively as possible. Brevard Workforce users have already begun aggressively applying TORQ in the field.

The Reality

The Indy Partnership, an award winning economic development organization serving a ten-county region surrounding Indianapolis, Indiana, was preparing a case to attract a new business to locate in the region. This business could potentially provide hundreds of jobs to workers in the area with skills in high-tech advanced manufacturing. To demonstrate the readiness of the regional workforce for this attraction effort, the Indy Partnership called upon the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (IDWD) to analyze the labor pool. Time was of the essence. Armed only with the names and SOCs (Standard Occupational Codes) of the occupations needed by the new mystery company, IDWD put TORQ into action to make the pitch.

The Response

Using the TORQ system, IDWD labor market analysts were able to prepare a complete case to the Indy Partnership, which included:

• Estimates of the size of the region’s hiring pool for each of the needed occupations, based not only on those in the area who were already in those jobs, but other workers in jobs requiring highly transferable abilities, skills, and knowledge.
• A complete TORQ analysis of the ease of transferability from any of the identified labor pool occupations to the target occupations, including detailed skills gaps and comparisons of required education and training.
• Identification of training providers in the region who could supply courses and programs to help workers in the region prepare to fill the target jobs.

The Indy Partnership is in contention for several major project attractions in the Indianapolis area due in part to TORQ.

The Reality

During the spring of 2009, the Maine Department of Labor received a series of notifications of impending layoffs by employers across the state. Many industries were deeply affected by the recession, including wood products, textiles, insurance, printing, and boat building. Companies such as RR Donnelly, Hinckley Yachts, and Standard Insurance were forced to cut staff dramatically, and in some cases to close entire facilities. The Department’s staff had to gather data quickly concerning the individuals affected, and present them with the best reemployment choices available, despite the extremely weak labor market. The Department’s response was particularly challenging because the layoffs were occurring in several parts of the state, and affecting a wide array of occupations.

The Response

The Department’s rapid response staff, which was an early adopter of TORQ software, surveyed workers in multiple locations. The team used TORQ to evaluate each of the occupations of the affected workers, and identified occupations with similar skills, knowledge and abilities, compared to the laid off workers’ previous jobs. In a series of reports distributed to field offices, the rapid response staff was able to identify alternative occupations that may have had some job openings into which the dislocated workers were able to transition.

The Reality

WorkForce One Employment Solutions in Broward County, Florida wanted to empower staff at One-Stop Centers, allowing them to better guide individual job seekers to new career opportunities.

The Response

When TORQ was introduced to Broward County’s One-Stop Career Centers they immediately saw success in a variety of real-world cases. WorkForce One is one of several of Florida’s WIA workforce regions using TORQ through a contract with Florida’s Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI). Among their many uses of TORQ are these examples:

• In numerous Rapid Response sessions for the School Board of Broward County, WorkForce One staff shared reports created in TORQ to show some occupational titles individuals may consider pursuing, other than the positions from which they were being laid off.
• One of WorkForce One’s Professional Placement Network (PPN) staff assisted a job seeker who was interested in moving out of the mental health field to explore other possibilities based on her training and existing job skills. Kelly Allen, VP of Communications and Business Relations for WorkForce One reports: “She was thrilled to learn about potential concierge opportunities for which she may be able to use her transferable skills and training and re-wrote her resume to reflect this change. She is now pursuing these opportunities.”
• WorkForce One has also been using TORQ to justify On-the-Job Training (OJT) plans, in addition to training all of their Success Coaches on how to use the tool for the purpose of career exploration and cross-walking.