Computer-based data integration and management process for workforce planning and occupational readjustment

Disclosed is a computer system and a method for a computer-based data integration and management processing system and a method for workforce planning and occupational readjustment. The system and method of the present invention uses a number of databases that are either created internally or are imported from existing databases. These databases are manipulated by the invention for skill matching analysis based on a rigorous behavioral skill analysis of target occupations, using one or more predetermined analysis metrics and an examination of an individual's skills using metrics with similar behavioral attributes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates in general to computer-based 
database systems, and, more particularly, to a computer-based data 
integration and management processing system and a method for workforce 
planning and occupational readjustment. 
2. Description of the Related Art 
Existing systems and methods for workforce planning and occupational 
readjustment, have traditionally concentrated mainly on the manual 
analysis of an individual's skills, with less or no emphasis on a related 
job analysis or needs analysis of potential employers. 
Additionally, links to training resources and new training requirements are 
typically not addressed as part of an overall approach. 
The individual is matched without any analysis of the demands of the 
particular position, but only with whether or not the individual possesses 
or can be trained to possess the skills for a particular position, 
regardless of whether there is a true demand for the position. 
The present invention meets and overcomes this mismatching problem by 
providing a computer-based data integration and management process to 
assist in workforce planning and occupational readjustment by matching 
required new or emerging job skills with an individual's known skills, 
identifying skill deficiencies, and planning training interventions. The 
present invention can also be used in the areas of career development and 
succession planning. 
The system and method of the present invention uses a number of databases 
that are either created internally or are imported from existing 
databases. These databases are manipulated by the invention for skill 
matching analysis based on a rigorous behavioral skill analysis of target 
occupations, using one or more predetermined analysis metrics and an 
examination of an individual's skills using metrics with similar 
behavioral attributes. 
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a computer 
database system and a method having an open architecture allowing a 
variety of uses depending on the types of data and databases developed for 
the matching activity. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method and 
system that has a great deal of flexibility in providing the career 
counselor "just in time" information in support of the overall career 
planning process. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and system 
that will assist a manager in providing a rational plan for the 
development of career goals and the generation of rational choices in 
determining occupational transition paths by identifying a match between a 
participant's skills and interests and with those of a particular demand 
occupation in a consistent uniform approach in determining match and 
requisite training needs. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and 
system that will assist a manager in providing a rational plan for the 
development of career goals and the generation of rational choices in 
determining occupational transition paths that is automated so that a 
manager will be able to handle an increased participant load with no 
degradation in effectiveness, thereby demonstrating productivity 
improvement over existing traditional methods. 
Other advantages of the method and system of the present invention include: 
(a) assessment of the match between demand occupational requirements and an 
individual's core skills, competencies and interests; 
(b) analysis and update of the demand occupation database through 
systematic job analytic techniques; 
c) specification of core curricula to support training needs; linkage of 
new training requirements with identified training resources. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and 
system that facilitates, rather than prevents, the rational analysis of an 
individual's skills with a job and needs analysis of potential employers. 
The novel features of construction and operation of the invention will be 
more clearly apparent during the course of the following description, 
reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein has been 
illustrated a preferred form of the device of the invention and wherein 
like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
A preferred form of the invention as embodied in a method and computing 
system for a computer-based data integration and management processing 
system and a method for workforce planning and occupational readjustment 
providing hardware and software components that support an integrated 
process in providing job placement is now described. 
Placement analysis in the present invention is based upon optimal matching 
of skills and interests of prospective candidates with skills and 
interests required for demanded occupations. In order to maximize the 
matching process, the present invention provides a detailed training plan 
aimed at bridging any skills shortfall. The training plan of the present 
invention directs an individual to appropriate training resources to 
remediate identified gaps. Although a primary objective of the present 
invention is job placement, the system and method of the invention is 
general enough to also support public and private industry in-house 
training needs, as well as career guidance and counseling in the academic 
environment. 
A high level view of the system and method of the present invention is now 
presented. The level of detail is at a user's perspective, and explains 
the system architecture, all major components and interfaces, and 
processing resources. Operational concepts and scenarios relate the role 
of the system and method of the present invention in the overall process. 
A preferred system architecture embodying the present invention includes a 
general computer platform capable of running in a standalone 
configuration, or in a multi-user environment over a network. An example 
of such a preferred computing platform is a microcontroller running under 
a 80486 or compatible computing engine such as a 80486 DX2, 33 MHz 
personal computer with associated peripherals and devices. The preferred 
computing platform would have 16 MB RAM, a math co-processor, a 1.2 GB 
hard disk drive with a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) controller, 
along with standard input/output peripheral devices such as 5.25" and 3.5" 
floppy drive units. The monitor is preferably a 17" monochrome unit having 
a 1024.times.768 VGA resolution with a 0.28 mm dot pitch, although other 
monitors, such as a color monitor, are also included in the scope of the 
present invention. 
Additional preferred peripheral devices would include a FAX/MODEM unit, and 
provisions for connection onto a commercial available Local Area Network 
(LAN). A 2.0 GB high-capacity, medium transfer-rate Digital Audio Tape 
(DAT) unit is preferred for general maintenance and backup activities. 
A preferred software architecture embodying the present invention includes 
one Computer Software Configuration Item (CSCI) having three components. 
The first component provides the operating system environment. This 
operating system environment can be any of the commercial available single 
or multi-tasking environments current available. All system services 
including the LAN interface are handled by this component. 
The second component provides for a Relational DataBase Management System 
(RDBMS) and its application. This component handles the population of all 
databases, conducting queries and matches, and producing Individual 
Training Plans (ITP). 
The third component provides for unique application software which must be 
generated outside of the database application, including software 
utilities to support, maintain and test the system application of the 
present invention. The application provides customized data input 
capabilities to populate skills, occupations, training resources, 
participants, and employers databases. The application's primary output is 
a report detailing a training plan aimed at maximizing the match. The 
training plan will point out skill deficiencies and suggest appropriate 
training resources for remediation. The application also features a 
variety of other customized reports to aid the user in identifying 
training objectives and generating plans to achieve these objectives. 
Likewise, there are three external interfaces in the preferred system 
embodying the present invention. 
The first external interface deals with populating the several databases 
and includes such data as skills matching data needed to drive the 
analysis and selection process. This includes data intake from the 
system's user or participant's input directly by a user based upon an 
interview and discussion with a participant. This interface is through 
special data entry screens enabling direct population of participant 
databases. Both manual input and automatic input using software utilities 
are envisioned within the system of the present invention. 
The following application databases are populated in a preferred embodiment 
of the present invention as shown in FIG. 1: 
a. Demand Occupations database 10; 
b. Demand Occupations Employer database 12; 
c. Client Skills database 14; 
d. Training Resources database 16; 
e. Skills database 18; 
The second external interface involves an output device 28 operating in 
association with report generator 26 operating under report generation 
software. Output is formatted and transmitted via hardcopy on a printer, 
electronically on magnetic storage media, or simply on the computer 
monitor. This interface provides for various reports generation, in 
addition to the participant's ITP. User interface for reports generation 
shall be accomplished through inputs on the keyboard included with the 
hardware computing platform of the system. Reports shall be output to the 
monitor or to the printer included with the hardware component of the 
system. 
Customized reports are preferably available in two manners, the first being 
by user invocation of established output scripts, the other by user 
invocation of querying capabilities for the database application. 
Finally, a third external interface provides for linking the system of the 
present invention to a LAN, and operating in a network configuration to 
share operational databases, as well as to input and output data with 
systems external to the system of the present invention. 
In actual operation, there are two operational scenarios. The first 
involves setting up and populating the databases. This will be an ongoing 
process throughout the life cycle of the system. Database population will 
be accomplished by several users: the database developer; the job analyst; 
the job developer; and the client manager. The second scenario will focus 
on the client manager working with the participant to gather personal 
information and generate ITPs. This latter scenario will be done by client 
managers. 
The first scenario proceeds as follows: 
1. Power on the system; 
2. Conduct initial logon and set up; 
3. Choose database to populate; 
4. Populate databases; 
5. Conclude database population session; 
6. Logoff/power off. 
The second scenario proceeds as follows: 
1. Power on the system; 
2. Conduct initial logon and set up; 
3. Interview and input participant data; 
4. Run queries to obtain matching; 
5. Conduct other queries/reports as desired; 
6. print ITP/discuss with participant; 
7. Logoff/power off. 
In general, as shown in FIG. 1, the invention is found in a computer system 
and method operating either standalone or over a network in accord with 
the following steps outlined below in detail to provide for a number of 
databases, created either internally or imported from existing databases, 
that are manipulated by the invention for skill matching analysis based on 
a rigorous behavioral skill analysis of target occupations, using one or 
more predetermined analysis metrics and an examination of an individual's 
skills using metrics with similar behavioral attributes. 
A preferred system architecture embodying the present invention for 
workforce planning and occupational readjustment utilizing a 
computer-based data integration and management processing system includes 
a computer platform having a memory device and input/output and display 
peripherals. A basic computing platform as described above is preferred 
for the hardware aspect of the architecture. 
The computer memory device must have sufficient storage capability to store 
therein a demand occupations database, a demand occupations employer 
database, a skills database, a training resources database, and, a 
participant data profile database. Preferably these databases will store 
their individual data elements in a relational database structure capable 
of being operated on by a relational database management system. 
The input/output peripherals are chosen to be capable of populating each of 
the established databases with preselected data entered by a user as with 
a keyboard, or automatically from separate systems or media such as tape 
or magnetic disks. 
The computer contains a set of preselected operating instructions for its 
control that are stored in the computer memory device for performing the 
following actions: 
Establishing a demand occupations database on the memory device having at 
least one data record representing an occupation in demand by a 
preselected group of employers. Normally this database is preferably 
populated by an extensive survey of employers, extracting their open 
employment positions and the various skills and skill levels identified 
with each open employment position. 
Establishing a skills database on the memory device having, for each demand 
occupation in the demand occupation database, at least one data record 
associated therewith. The data fields of the data record define a profile 
of the skills required for the associated demand occupation as indicated 
by the surveys conducted with the employers contacted in populating the 
demand occupations database. In reality, this database contains a 
definition of the demand occupations appearing in the previously 
established demand occupations database including the various skills and 
skill levels needed to qualify for the demand occupation appearing in the 
demand occupations database. 
Establishing a training resources database on the memory device having at 
least one data record representing a source of available training for each 
skill in the skills database. Each data record in the training resources 
database is preferably comprised of data fields representing a training 
resource profile of preselected information for each training source. 
Examples of data held in this database would include training courses 
offered by local educational facilities, the cost and availability of such 
courses as well as entrance requirements for such courses. 
Building at the computer host system, a client desired position profile 
having a plurality of preselected parameters with a client assigned 
preferential weight associated with each parameter. The client creates and 
tailors this position profile to indicate not only his existing employment 
position, but to indicate what may be a desired, but never done employment 
category by using his ability to preferentially weight each parameter. 
Building at the computer host system, a client skills profile having a 
plurality of parameters representing known skills of the client. The 
invention does require an objective input as to what skills the client 
actually possesses as a baseline to begin its analysis. 
Generating on the computer host system a demand occupations match profile 
having its data records each representing the results of a comparison 
between the client desired position profile and the data records in the 
demand occupations database to order the data records in the demand 
occupations match profile in accord with a preselected ordering hierarchy 
based on the client assigned preferential weighted parameters. This 
comparison enables the system to parse the databases to determine the 
closest match, using the client's defined preferentially weighted 
parameters indicating the client's desires. 
Generating on the computer host system a demand occupations description 
profile for each demand occupation in the demand occupations match 
profile, representing an association of the particular skills database 
record associated with each demand occupation in the job match profile. 
This profile assists the user, and his counselor, to have a current 
definition of each of the skills and skill levels required for each of the 
selected demand occupations. The user, and his counselor, are not only 
current with this definition, but can immediately gain familiarity with 
demand occupations that they have never encountered previously. 
Generating on the computer host system a client skills analysis whose data 
records represent a comparison of the data records in the client skills 
profile with each of the skills data records for client selected ones of 
demand occupations appearing in the demand occupations description 
profile. The client skills analysis data records represent both matches in 
client skills and deficiencies. With this report, the client and his 
counselor, the client manager, can begin the task of determining the 
"human" fit of the client, with his desires and skills, with the 
objectively required skills. 
Generating on the computer host system an available training resources 
profile whose data records represent, for each data record in the client 
skills analysis representing a client skills deficiency, a match of the 
data records representing deficiencies with a training source providing 
training for the deficient skill. This report enables the client and his 
counselor to determine what resources are available to obtain missing 
skills, as well as the cost and entrance requirements for such training. 
Displaying the available training resources profile on a preselected 
display peripheral of the computer host system. 
Displaying the available demand occupations description profile on a 
preselected display peripheral of the computer host system. 
Likewise, each of these output activities can also be accomplished by 
sending the various data to output peripherals of the computer host system 
such as printers. 
Displaying the demand occupations match profile on a preselected display 
peripheral of the computer host system. 
Establishing an employer database on the computer host system having, for 
each demand occupation in the demand occupations database, at least one 
data record representing an employer seeking an individual having the 
skills associated with the demand occupation. 
This employer database will also include data of employers who are likely 
to have such demanded occupations within their company, though they may 
not currently have a need to fill these positions. This database presents 
a list of "typical" employers for a given demanded occupation; it is not 
necessarily meant to represent an employer with a known opening. 
The invention described above is, of course, susceptible to many 
variations, modifications and changes, all of which are within the skill 
of the art. It should be understood that all such variations, 
modifications and changes are within the spirit and scope of the invention 
and of the appended claims. Similarly, it will be understood that 
Applicant intends to cover and claim all changes, modifications and 
variations of the example of the preferred embodiment of the invention 
herein disclosed for the purpose of illustration which do not constitute 
departures from the spirit and scope of the present invention.