Comprehensive Skills Gap Study
“The economy of a successful city is based on a remarkable equilibrium between labor supply and demand: innovative companies (the labor demand) want to be there because they know they will find workers with the skills they need, and skilled workers (the labor supply) want to be there because they know they will find the jobs they are looking for.”
From The New Geography of Jobs by Enrico Moretti
The Shoals Area Chamber of Commerce contracted with Horizon Point to provide a comprehensive skills gap analysis for the regional workforce area of which the Shoals is the hub. The project analyzed the past, present and future predictions of labor supply and demand at the macro and micro level. The study’s purpose informed plans to further economic growth in Northwest Alabama.
A variety of data sources were utilized to analyze the labor supply and demand for this area. This included a custom employer survey developed specifically for this project, which was designed to qualify and quantify position and skills needs now and in the future.
Horizon Point presented these findings in a written report and two presentations to workforce development leaders in the area.
With this data, local leaders are better positioned to determine what skills training programs should be created or expanded to meet industry needs. They are better able to understand the quality of existing programs and advocate for adjustments where needed. Most notably, they have responded to what their constituents need – data to determine a direction for workforce development going forward.
Chamber representatives had this to say about the services Horizon Point provided:
“Horizon Point provided excellent service and expertise in developing our custom skills gap analysis. Their work was professional and they even finished the project earlier than originally planned. They were a pleasure to work with and the presentations Mary Ila delivered were extremely informative and tailored toward the big picture, for our regional workforce council, and to the specific needs of the Shoals Chamber’s executive committee. We will certainly call on Horizon Point again in the future as the need arises for such information.”