Labor Outcomes Project
Linking Academic Pathways and Workforce Outcomes
The National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH), in partnership with the National Student Clearinghouse, is piloting a first‑of‑its‑kind approach to linking postsecondary academic data with labor market outcomes from the U.S. Census Bureau. Building on a longstanding collaboration between NASH and the Clearinghouse, this initiative advances a shared commitment to improving student success through data‑driven insights and to strengthening the role of public higher education systems in supporting economic mobility.
By connecting postsecondary enrollment and completion data with labor market information, the project creates a foundation for more actionable, system‑level insight that enables leaders to better understand workforce outcomes, align academic programs with labor market demand, and demonstrate how academic pathways translate into real economic opportunity for students.
Why This Work Matters
Since 2021, NASH has worked with member systems through a multi-phase initiative to collaboratively develop system-level metrics focused on degree and credential completion, social mobility, and reducing student debt. Through this work, systems identified a critical data infrastructure gap: the lack of integrated insight connecting academic pathways to labor market outcomes.
This project directly addresses that gap. By joining academic and workforce data at scale, NASH and the National Student Clearinghouse are equipping systems with the ability to identify credentials of value, understand outcomes across institutions and regions, and make more informed decisions about program alignment, advising, and transfer pathways. The result is a stronger foundation for improving student social and economic mobility while ensuring public higher education remains responsive to workforce and regional economic needs.
What the Project Will Deliver
With support from ECMC Foundation, NASH and the National Student Clearinghouse are developing, for a limited number of pilot schools:
- Datasets that connect academic and labor market outcomes
- Visualizations that surface trends over time at the local, state, and national levels
- Resources to support system‑ and campus‑level leaders in interpreting and applying insights
The pilot phase includes a number of institutions within the Louisiana Board of Regents, working with both the Louisiana State University System and the Southern University System. In addition to producing early datasets and visualizations, the pilot incorporates direct user testing and feedback from participating systems to inform future opportunities to scale these insights and integrate them into broader system‑level analytics.
This phase lays the groundwork for tools that can be expanded across NASH member systems nationwide, supporting public higher education leaders, funders, and field partners in better connecting education to labor market outcomes and strengthening workforce relevance.