The LMI Insider – September 2025

LMI Insider
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September 2025
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Welcome to LMI Insider –

A Publication of the Labor Market Information Institute
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Features
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PMP Summit Next Week!
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The 2025 Projections Managing Partnership (PMP) Summit kicks off in Austin, Texas next week! We’re excited for another year of useful and insightful presentations, with topics including updates from national partners; improvements to Projections Suite and ULMITA; incorporating AI impacts in employment projections; innovative approaches to developing and delivering state and local projections data; and roundtable discussions with fellow analysts.
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Register to attend virtually and check out the updated Summit agenda using the links below. Please contact Tucker Plumlee (tplumlee@crec.net) with any questions.
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Only Five Seats Left for Basic LMI Analyst Training!
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October 14 – 15, 2025

Sacramento, CA
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Take your first step toward mastering labor market information. Our Basic LMI Analyst Training in Sacramento is almost full, with only five seats left.

Over two days, you will:
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  • Build confidence using core LMI programs and tools
  • Learn to analyze occupations and workforce trends
  • Apply real time labor market information and Local Employment Dynamics
  • Translate data into insights that inform policy and strategy
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Do not miss your chance to learn in person from experts and connect with peers from across the field. Seats are limited, so register now to guarantee your spot.
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Federal Updates
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Workforce Pell
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With the recent passage of the budget reconciliation bill (H.R. 1) in Congress, “Workforce Pell” is now a reality. The legislation authorizes Pell grants to be used to pay for short-term training programs lasting at least 150 hours and offered over a minimum of 8 weeks, covering noncredit programs that have historically been ineligible for federal financial aid. This change presents new opportunities for those pursuing career training. However, programs will be required to demonstrate alignment with “in-demand occupations” and strong employment/wage gains for graduates to qualify. A lack of data around noncredit offerings and outcomes will, therefore, present challenges to implementing the new policy.
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Below are some recent articles about how states can best understand and prepare for this new opportunity.
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NTEWS 2022 Data and Report
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The National Science Foundation’s National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) just released a report summarizing key findings from the National Training, Education, and Workforce Survey (NTEWS) Pilot, for which data was released earlier this year. NTEWS is designed to provide information on education and training history, as well as related employment characteristics, for the nation’s population, allowing for additional insight into work-related credentials and their impact on employment outcomes. The survey was developed with a particular focus on better understanding the skilled technical workforce, individuals with less than a bachelor’s degree who are employed in occupations requiring a high level of specific technical knowledge and skill.
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Upcoming Events, Trainings, and Webinars
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2025 Projections Managing Partnership (PMP) Summit

September 24 – 26, 2025

Austin, TX
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Basic Analyst Training (Seats Limited)

October 14 – 15, 2025

Sacramento, CA
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Data User Roundtable: AI in LMI

October 29, 2025

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET

Online Only

Information coming soon!
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From Raw Data to Regional Insights: Intermediate R Tools for Workforce & Economic Development

November 19 – 20, 2025

Arlington, VA
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LMI Institute and C2ER Conference

June 17 – 20, 2026

Memphis, Tennessee
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Insider View – Be in the Know
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Update on FY 2026 Federal Funding Proposals for Workforce Information Grants, National Tools, and WDQI
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As Congress advances its appropriations process for Fiscal Year 2026, state LMI offices should be aware of proposed changes to funding levels that will directly affect core data programs and national infrastructure. Both the House and Senate have released their FY 2026 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bills, which contain proposed reductions for key workforce information programs.
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Local Lens
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In this month’s LMI Insider we are introducing a new section aimed at highlighting the work being done by state LMI offices to address the data and analytics needs of local and regional stakeholders, including local workforce boards, economic development organizations, colleges and universities, and others. This builds on the LMI Institute’s recent work to bring state LMI agencies together with data users to improve the availability, accessibility, and utility of critical LMI through the Data User Insights Academy (DUIA). The first cohort of the DUIA included state teams from Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

Participants from the Texas Academy team, which included LMI staff at the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) and staff from Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas and Workforce Solutions Capital Area, will share more about their collaboration at the upcoming PMP Summit. After surveying workforce board and economic development organizations across the state about their data needs, the team worked together closely to develop a new, interactive, “one-stop” dashboard to help answer the critical questions being asked by local stakeholders. While the dashboard is still undergoing agency approvals, TWC is also drawing new relationships with data users to develop new resources that will provide easy-to-understand guidance on using LMI to understand local labor market trends.

Learn more about the accomplishments of the other five state Academy teams during the first DUIA cohort here!
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Featured Reports and Tools
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Oregon
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The State of Oregon Employment Department provides several practical career exploration publications for students. This includes two career exploration workbooks for young students where they can follow Carson the Career Cat in completing simple activities to students thinking about different careers. For older students there is the much more in-depth Oregon Careers guide with information on career planning, education options, job searching, 200 different occupations, and a list of additional resources. There is also an activity guide that students can use to help them explore the guide, or that teachers can use in lesson planning.
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Nevada
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The Nevada Department of Employment, Training & Rehabilitation publishes valuable dashboards that provide important information about state licenses and training providers. They have one dashboard clearly showing a list of all of the licenses in the state of Nevada, along with a description of the requirements to obtain the license and the website of the licensing agency. Another dashboard on their website lists training providers and institutions in the state, including both universities and technical schools.
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Does your state have a projections dashboard?

Share it with us! We’d love to see it and feature it in the monthly LMI Insider.
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We welcome your feedback on this edition, and for content suggestions in future editions, of The LMI Insider. Please direct comments, questions, or for more information on the LMI Institute to Marty Romitti, CREC Senior Vice President, at mromitti@crec.net
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To subscribe to the C2ER/LMI Weekly Updates click here
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