Technical Assistance

Our technical assistance aids policymakers and workforce development staff to better implement innovation and job-creation strategies by:

• Understanding the economic forces affecting regions and states
• Helping local leaders formulate knowledge-based strategies
• Developing transformational models that support knowledge-driven economic prosperity

Building On the Knowledge Economy

The Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) uses information and data to create resources and toolkits so that state and national policymakers can evaluate, shape, and implement effective and state- and region-specific programs that promote economic development efforts.

Many of our technical-assistance efforts are aimed at: federal agencies, regional and state offices, private nonprofits, educational institutions, and sub-state regional coalitions.

While our primary area of policy expertise relates to economic development, workforce development, and education, our network extends beyond these policy areas through the Association of Public Data Users (APDU) into a variety of fields ranging from health care, criminal justice and housing, and demographics to transportation.

Related Projects

Workforce Assessment Study for the U.S. Virgin Islands
J&M Global Solutions
Start Date: Feb 2022 — End Date: Jul 2022

CREC supported J&M Global Solutions (J&M) and EntreWorks Consulting in performing a workforce assessment study for the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). The study was designed to offer a “deep dive” into the USVI’s workforce and the training and education systems that support it. For this project, CREC provided data and analytical support relevant to all […]

California Centers of Excellence for Labor Market Research Training and Engagement Curriculum
Los Rios (CA) Community College District
Start Date: Dec 2021 — End Date: May 2022

CREC partnered with the California Centers of Excellence for Labor Market Research (CoE), the labor market information arm of the nation’s largest community college system, to redesign their statewide LMI training curriculum. The course resources developed provide instructors with a comprehensive, modular training library for equipping college leadership, faculty, and student-advisory staff with LMI regional […]

Developing a Community Empowerment Scorecard
Colorado Workforce Development Council
Start Date: Apr 2020 — End Date: Jan 2022

CREC is assisting the Colorado Workforce Development Council (CWDC) in promoting economic mobility among the individuals that are receiving employment assistance.  CREC is developing a community empowerment scorecard to help CWDC monitor the various factors that contribute to jobseeker mobility.  The scorecard will focus on examining career pathways and partnerships in the retail sector that […]

Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission Economic Resilience Strategy
Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission
Start Date: May 2021 — End Date: Jan 2022

CREC is assisting Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. in developing an Economic Resilience Strategy for the Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission (K-IRPC) that builds regional capacity to respond to economic shocks. CREC supports the project by providing experience throughout the planning process, development of survey instruments, focus group facilitation, and identification of implementation strategies that align with […]

Texas Research Differentiation Report, 2021
Texas Foundation for Innovative Community
Start Date: Jan 2021 — End Date: Dec 2021

CREC worked with the Austin Technology Incubator, Texas Foundation for Innovative Communities, The Academy of Medicine, Engineering & Science of Texas (TAMEST), and University of Texas at Austin to identify and document the state’s advantages in academic and applied research, including promising late-stage research relative to global innovation leaders. With this information, the project sought […]