A workforce investment model for a regional skills transition.

Engagement type: Capability model
Target users: Governments, workforce agencies, foundations, economic-development organizations, and employer consortia
Status: In development

THE DECISION

How should a government, foundation, or regional partnership allocate workforce-development resources across occupations, population groups, training providers, employers, and employment supports?

THE MANDATE

A region may have committed to expanding employment in priority sectors such as clean energy; construction; healthcare; technology; advanced manufacturing; or the care economy.

The strategic direction may be clear, but the operating and investment model behind it may not exist.

Decision-makers still need to determine:

which occupations to prioritize
how many workers may be required
where training capacity is insufficient
which populations face barriers to participation
what participant supports are needed
how funding should be structured
and what employment outcomes justify continued investment

THE COMPLEXITY

Job projections alone do not establish a viable workforce strategy.

The investment decision must connect credible employer demand; wage quality; training capacity; credential requirements; participant access; completion; placement; retention; support intensity; cost; and regional economic value.

THE BUILD

Labour-demand model: A regional model connecting priority sectors; occupational groups; projected vacancies; replacement demand; growth; credentials; wages; and geography.
Population and access model: A structure examining labour-force participation; underemployment; education; prior work experience; transportation; caregiving; language; digital access; and support requirements.
Training-capacity map: An assessment of available programs; seat capacity; completion; instructors; equipment; work placements; credentials; and geographic coverage.
Financial and funding model: A multi-year model covering training delivery; participant support; employer incentives; administration; outreach; case management; technology; evaluation; and contingency.
Scenario model: Scenarios testing employer demand; recruitment; completion; placement; retention; wages; funding; program duration; and support intensity.
Operating model: A delivery structure covering governance; partner roles; referrals; intake; training; employer engagement; participant support; placement; retention; and performance reporting.
Investment framework: A comparison tool using cost per participant; cost per completion; cost per placement; cost per retained worker; projected wage gain; demand; accessibility; and delivery risk.

THE OPERATING VALUE

Decision-makers could compare specific workforce investments rather than rely on broad commitments to skills development.

The system would show:

where demand is credible
where training capacity is constrained
what support is needed
how funding structures affect sustainability
and which investments are most likely to produce durable employment

How the work moved

The capability model defines the decision as an allocation problem across occupations, populations, training pathways, employers, and participant supports.
Investment framing · labour-market systems analysis · outcome definition
Economic priorities are converted into variables covering demand, wages, credentials, barriers, training capacity, delivery cost, placement, and retention.
Strategy translation · indicator architecture · evidence requirements
The model connects labour demand, population access, training capacity, funding, delivery, and employment outcomes into one analytical structure.
Evidence architecture · cross-system integration · data-model design
Investment scenarios will test how demand, completion, placement, retention, wages, participant support, and funding affect performance. The model will identify where one constraint becomes the limiting factor.
Financial modelling · labour-demand forecasting · sensitivity analysis
The preferred scenario will be translated into an operating model with governance, delivery roles, funding flows, participant pathways, employer engagement, and performance controls.
Operating-model design · portfolio management · implementation controls
The final system will include the demand model, access structure, capacity map, financial model, scenario tool, operating model, and investment framework.
Model governance · institutional transfer · repeatable decision system

The strategy identified where the economy was going. The model determined what it would take for workers, employers, and institutions to move with it.