Benchmarking & best practices Archives • TIP Strategies

Supporting Shorter, More Affordable Pathways to Quality Jobs

6.25.2024by Luke Shuffield

Students often feel pressured to pursue four-year degrees despite skyrocketing education costs. However, the value of affordable, shorter educational pathways, such as associate’s degrees and technical certificates, is increasingly evident. Institutions like Texas State Technical College and San Jacinto College demonstrate the benefits of skill-specific training, supported by philanthropic and industry investments, offering promising alternatives to traditional college routes.

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Triptychs: Work-Based Learning Models

6.17.2024by Katrina Parkey Fraser, CWDP

As technology advances, a skills gap has emerged between students’ education and employers’ needs, threatening future workforce readiness. Work-based learning programs, which integrate real-world experiences and employer insights into education, offer a viable solution. This blog post explores three examples of programs that help students acquire essential skills and better prepare for high-demand jobs, addressing talent shortages in major sectors.

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Highline Park in NYC, a repurposed railroad bridge

Creating Place-Based Economic Impacts Through Adaptive Reuse

3.15.2024by Jenn Todd-Goynes, CNU-A

Rising office vacancy rates following the COVID-19 pandemic have renewed conversations about the role of adaptive reuse. Jenn Todd-Goynes highlights notable examples of communities that have brought together public and private interests to transform vacant sites and underutilized assets into quality places that generate positive impacts and provide preferred destinations for people, businesses, and visitors.

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Triptychs: Meeting Sustainability Needs Through Hubs

12.27.2023by Rachel Wise

Sustainability is increasingly understood as both an economic and an environmental imperative. In our latest Triptychs post, Rachel Wise looks at three collaborations aimed at raising awareness of sustainability issues such as climate change, creating resilient places and people, and helping leaders make informed decisions about the future.

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Under Tridge by Aberro Creative via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

How Can the CEDS Process Build Resilience?

12.12.2023by Elizabeth Scott

In the final installment of our series examining the comprehensive economic development strategy (CEDS), Elizabeth Scott discusses how the East Michigan Council of Governments used elements of the CEDS planning process to respond to both economic and climate-related upheavals in its 14-county region.

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An engineer prints a prototype model on a 3d printer in a laboratory

Field Notes: Fostering Innovation at Texas Universities

10.4.2023by Katrina Parkey Fraser, CWDP

Earlier this year, the Texas Higher Education Foundation engaged TIP and Research Bridge Partners to bring a cross-section of stakeholders together and create a statewide plan focused on technology transfer, commercialization, and innovation. We invited the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives and Engagement, Jaclyn Le, to talk about the strategic planning process underway.

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Building a Vibrant Innovation Ecosystem in Greater Green Bay

10.2.2023by John Karras

Greater Green Bay’s innovation ecosystem has undergone a remarkable transformation since 2015. TIP’s multiple strategic planning projects in the region have allowed the team to witness this phenomenon firsthand. In this piece, VP of business development, John Karras, shares his thoughts on the characteristics that support the region’s dynamic startup and entrepreneurial environment.

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Triptychs: Driving Innovation and Sustainability in the Blue Economy

9.13.2023by John Karras

Projected to generate $3 trillion over the next decade, the global blue economy presents vast economic potential. Sustainable practices are crucial to ensuring the long-term health of the ocean ecosystems, coastal communities, and water-related sectors. This blog post explores three innovative North American regions that successfully balance resilience and economic growth.

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2023 CNU Conference: Takeaways & Trends

6.29.2023by Jenn Todd-Goynes, CNU-A

In early June, Jenn Todd-Goynes attended CNU31 in Charlotte, North Carolina. As a member of the Congress for New Urbanism, Jenn is passionate about the role of the built environment and about creating people-centered places. In her recent blog post, she discusses two themes from the conference that have broad implications for community and economic developers.

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Triptychs: Attracting Talent in a Tight Labor Market

3.30.2023by Katrina Parkey Fraser, CWDP

Faced with tight labor markets and ongoing skills-based shortages, talent attraction efforts benefit from creative approaches. Examples include tailoring talent recruitment initiatives to a specific audience or market; offering prospective residents meaningful information, services, and opportunities; and leveraging community expertise.

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