KEY CONCEPTS

Career Clusters

Groups of related types of work and occupations.

Completions

Measurements of the number of students who completed an academic or occupational instructional program. Completions include programs offered for credit at postsecondary institutions—degrees, certificates, and other such formal awards.

Fields of Study

Standardized categories of instructional programs. Fields of Study are classified using the Classification of Instruction Programs (CIP) taxonomy to facilitate the collecting, reporting, and analyzing of program data.

Industry Sectors

Groups of companies or economic units that share production processes. Industries are classified using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

Occupational Demands

Measurements of the number of openings in a specified time period.

Occupations

Groups of jobs that require similar knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform a variety of activities and tasks. Occupations are classified using the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) taxonomy.

Openings

Numbers of new and replacement jobs. New jobs are positions that did not exists in the prior time period; replacement jobs are positions that were vacated by a worker who changed occupations.

Traded Sectors

Sectors in which companies sell products or services across regions and/or countries outside of their local area.

Primary Jobs

Jobs that infuse new dollars into the economy within industries that are traded or exportoriented. Examples include agriculture, mining, oil, & gas, and manufacturing.

Image by Jay Brittain

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