Environmental Scanning

Beginning in September 2006, the Workforce Development unit of Lone Star College System has been leading an effort to identify trends or forces of change that will impact our community for the next three to five years. The purpose of this exercise was to enable Lone Star College System to anticipate change and develop a strategic direction for Workforce Development to better meet the needs and opportunities for workforce education and training in our service area. A carefully researched, external set of data will provide a foundation upon which to build our strategic plan.

Forty-six faculty and staff members throughout Lone Star College System participated to research and identify 92 trends in nine taxonomy areas: Advanced Manufacturing, Competitive Education, Demographics, Economics, Education, Labor Force, Politics, Social Values and Lifestyles, and Technology. In addition, over 70 community and business leaders were interviewed for their insights on trends to both confirm our internal findings as well as ensure that important trends were not omitted from our project.

The following summaries include a comprehensive list of trends with supporting details, as well as the implications information collected during workshops with community and business leaders and college district faculty and staff.  

Final Summary of Trends and Supporting Information         Summary of Trends with Implications