WS 15-09
August 26, 2015
Employer Service, Basic
& Expanded Service,
Financial Aid
Expires: Continuing
To:
All Contractors
From:
Mike Temple
Michelle Ramirez
David Baggerly
Subject:
Updated Board Targeted Industries, Demand Occupations Lists and Career
Exploration Resources
Purpose
Issue the Gulf Coast Workforce Board’s latest guidance on key regional industries and demand
occupations. This issuance replaces WS 13-15.
Background
The Gulf Coast Workforce board targets the resources it controls – and influences those
controlled by its partners in the regional workforce system – with its strategic plan and a series
of supporting lists: 1) Targeted Industries, 2) Where the Jobs Are, and 3) High-Skill, HighGrowth Careers.
Note: We have discontinued the dissemination of a separate High-Skill, High-Growth
Occupations Supported by Scholarships list. Staff and customers will use the HighSkill, High-Growth Occupations list to identify occupations we support with our
education and training scholarship dollars.
We use these lists to guide not only the Board’s strategic investments, but also to help our
residents build careers in industries and occupations with good prospects and higher wages.
Because the labor market changes – and we continually update our information about the
market – we periodically refresh these lists to reflect those changes. Our Workforce Board
approved new lists on June 2, 2015.
We have developed a number of resources to help customers, staff and community
organizations better understand high-skill, high-growth careers in the Gulf Coast region.
Using the Lists
Targeted Industries
We use this list to help guide strategic investments of money and resources in our key
regional industries. We also use this list to help guide actions of the Employer Service
Division.
Where the Jobs Are
This is our “hot jobs” list showing those occupations that are growing. We don’t use
wage or other kinds of criteria to refine the list; it consists entirely of those jobs in
which we expect to see openings over the next 10 years. We also use this in providing
career information and guidance to customers.
High-Skill, High-Growth Occupations (List) (Booklet).
This is our demand occupations list. We use it as the basis for our system’s career
information and guidance work. The occupations on this list represent good careers
with higher than average wages, skill levels and employment opportunities for the next
10 years. We work to promote these occupations to our customers and the general
public throughout the region.
We also use the High-Skill, High-Growth Occupations list to guide our offers of
Workforce Solutions’ financial aid to customers. The occupations marked with “$”
indicate that we will fund eligible customers for approved career advancement training
programs. Those labeled with “$/ ” represent occupations that we support with
career training and career advancement training dollars. For more information about
career training and career advancement training review WS Issuance 15-11.
Highlights

Occupations no longer on the High-Skill, High-Growth Occupation list:
25-1000 Postsecondary Teachers
47-2011 Boilermakers
29-1051 Pharmacists
19-3021 Market Research Analysts
13-2051 Financial Analysts
49-9051 Electrical Power Line Installers

New occupation supported by both occupational and upgrade training scholarships:
25-2032 Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary
Issuance WS 15-09 Updated Targeted Industries and Demand Occupations—Page 2
August 26, 2015
Career Exploration Resources
Customers, staff and community organizations frequently use Workforce Solutions’ career
exploration tools to make informed employment and training decisions.
Between our lists, booklets, posters and other tools, there are a number of different resources
available. Visit wrksolutions.com/careerexploration to view our career exploration tools. The
Career Exploration Resource Guide organizes these tools and explains how and when to use
them.
Action
Please make sure all staff members at every level are aware of the information provided here.
Please begin using the new lists and career exploration resources with customers.
Questions
Staff should first ask questions of their managers or supervisors. Direct questions for Board
staff through the Issuance Q&A.
Issuance WS 15-09 Updated Targeted Industries and Demand Occupations—Page 3
August 26, 2015