Regional Data Connections Cohort Convenes in Washington, DC

Two months into their six-month journey, four state teams gathered in Washington, DC on July 15–16 for the Regional Data Connections (RDC) Cohort’s in-person convening. Led by CREC and the LMI Institute, with support from Ascendium Education Group, the cohort pairs state LMI agencies with their regional workforce development boards to make sub-state labor market data easier to produce, share, and use.

A clear message emerged from the two days: while state-produced LMI often rivals paid vendors in quality, the real gap is packaging, storytelling, and getting the right data to users when they need it. How people want to receive data is also shifting faster than the underlying products, with issues such as data suppression dominating the field.

Each state is tackling a different piece of the puzzle. North Carolina and Texas are focused on sharpening how boards use and access data, New Jersey is building toward an AI-powered chatbot and dashboards, and Hawaii is working to expand collaboration in the state. Tune into the LMI Institute LinkedIn to follow each state’s progress and stay up to date on cohort happenings.

Interested in joining the next cohort in Spring 2027? Reach out to Sarah Edwards at sedwards@crec.net.

Hawaii

New Jersey

Texas

North Carolina