A region’s competitive advantages are in large part based on the strengths of its workforce.  To evaluate the core competencies, Alward Institute deconstructs the employment in the industries in your region into the underlying knowledge, skills, abilities, and education (KSAE) associated with those jobs.  In this way, the analyst is able to get a different and more complete view of the workforce in their region. 

For example, instead of only looking at existing employment in the region, deconstructing those jobs into their KSAEs allows the analyst to see industries which currently are not in the region, but could easily fit into the existing labor force.  It is often the case that seemingly disparate sectors have similar KSAE requirements.  The regional endowments of KSAEs can be  correlated with KSAE needs by various sectors to see what sector’s needs align most closely with regional endowments.  The total employment or the unemployed jobs in the region can be compared to the needs of any industry to explore how the human resources in the region correspond to the KSAE needs of any given industry of interest.