Introduction
State workforce agencies and local workforce development boards are confronting unprecedented challenges, including budgetary constraints, WIOA uncertainties, and increased difficulty with constituent engagement in a crowded market. The need for innovative solutions that provide tangible value to employers, workers, and strategic partners has never been more critical. One unique strategy that’s gained traction is the development of career lattice tools and dashboards. Career lattices are an informative, visually appealing solution that engage workers with actionable career mobility and training options, positioning workforce boards as leaders in career and professional development services.
The Imperative for Change
Workforce development boards have innovated in recent years, adopting new outreach, program design, and service delivery systems that are positively impacting workers. Today, boards understand that success will depend on their ability to reposition as concierge career and professional development service providers. This evolution is not a matter of branding, but a strategic pivot intended to increase engagement, utilization rates, and the value delivered to job seekers and the local economy. One way workforce teams are addressing this evolution is through the use of customized career lattices, powered by actionable labor market intelligence, training options, and supplemental career and professional development content.
The Return on Investment of Career Lattices
Career lattices represent a significant departure from traditional career pathways, which often envision a linear progression within a given field. To their credit, boards recognize that today’s in-demand industries place a premium on skills and competencies, not just credentials. This presents opportunities for workers to find the optimal career opportunity that represents not only their interests, experience, and skills, but also their best opportunity for economic mobility. Modern career lattices are more flexible and localized, facilitating not just vertical ascension but lateral and diagonal transitions across different industries and sectors within a geographical region. This adaptability happens by integrating training and funding opportunities while keeping focus on skills cross-walking, which ensures workers are not just prepared for the jobs of today but are also adaptable to the careers of tomorrow.
For example, someone who graduates from a technical school with skills in instrumentation and electrical controls can work in both the energy sector and advanced robotics manufacturing. They may consider an opportunity to advance into another sector based on their experience and skill set. This is where the advantage of customized career lattices comes in. Career lattices allow workers to visually identify career opportunities across various industries, adapting to a region’s changing and varied job market and advancing economic mobility for workers across the skills and experience spectrum.
Requirements for Effective Implementation
Implementing a career lattice dashboard requires access to up-to-date labor market data, integration with existing state and federal workforce programs, a sophisticated technology infrastructure capable of hosting interactive career exploration tools, and strong partnerships with educational institutions, training entities, and industry partners. These prerequisites are vital to tailoring career lattices to the regional economic landscape and labor market needs, providing the most value for workers
Customization and Cost
While generic career lattice models are available, the most effective solutions are tailored to meet the specific needs and contexts of individual state workforce agencies and workforce boards. The cost of developing customized career lattices can vary, but the investment provides substantial benefits of increased service utilization, enhanced funding opportunities, and improved outcomes for job seekers.
Case In Point
Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas (WSNCT) hired Resultant to make its labor market data more accessible, understandable, and actionable for businesses, educators, policymakers, and job seekers across the region.
WSNCT sought a solution that would go beyond static reports and spreadsheets. The regional workforce board required interactive, user-friendly dashboards that could dynamically visualize labor market trends, track workforce demand, and highlight career pathways—all while ensuring data accuracy and relevance.
Resultant helped design and develop a modernized system to transform complex labor market information into actionable insights. The multi-phase approach included discovery, design, development, testing, and deployment. Components included an interactive labor market information dashboard, economic profiles for 14 regional counties, and skill-based career progression lattices.
The result? WSNCT gained a reliable, user-friendly solution to support the organization’s programs and stakeholders—one that was instrumental in strategic workforce planning, economic decision-making, and the creation of localized career roadmaps for job seekers.
Conclusion
Adopting and customizing career lattices is a proactive strategy to redefine workforce development.
By enabling more nuanced and flexible career pathways, workforce agencies and boards can enhance their service offerings, better meet the needs of their citizens, and ensure their workforce is resilient, adaptable, and ready for the future.
This strategic investment demonstrates a commitment to innovation and positions state workforce agencies and regional workforce boards as leaders in driving economic growth in a changing world.
Learn more about the work we did for WSNCT
