Data Collection for Evaluating Industry Partnerships

At the 2024 ATE PI Conference, I found myself in a small but crowded room for a workshop on the links between ATE projects and economic development. As an evaluator who also works in the economic development world, I was excited to see these two interests intersect. From the number of people standing along the walls and in the doorway, it was clear there was more interest in the topic than expected. The session featured a brief presentation on how ATE contributed to economic development in one region, followed by roundtable discussions that quickly became a full-room conversation.

My key takeaway from this session? Principal Investigators (PIs) believe their ATE projects support local economic development, but they often don’t know how to engage local economic developers or industry partners effectively.  Industry partners are often included in ATE projects to provide input on curriculum and offer work-based learning opportunities to students. Economic developers work at a local or regional level to plan and execute strategies that increase economic opportunities for their communities, often partnering with local industries to attract businesses and create jobs. Their work often overlaps with the industries ATE projects focus on, but they are not usually familiar with what community colleges are doing, resulting in ATE projects not being included in a community’s overall strategy. In my experience, this disconnect often stems from a language and priority divide between higher education institutions  and industry. Below I share some lessons on how evaluators can help bridge this gap with the right data and framing.

Lesson 1: Align with Partner Priorities

Discuss with your PI about whether engaging economic developers or industry partners is a priority for the evaluation. If so, ask whether they’ve participated in local coalitions or regional planning efforts. These often include workforce and talent pipeline goals, and sometimes input from employers about needed credentials or skills. Align your evaluation metrics and language with these plans to show where the project fits into broader efforts.

Lesson 2: Collect Relevant Data

Design data collection with these external audiences in mind. While student satisfaction is useful internally, economic developers and industry partners care more about results. Consider:

• Credentials earned
• Skills achieved
• Internships/apprenticeships
• Graduate employment outcomes (especially locally)
• Industry partner satisfaction
• Number of new/sustained partnerships
• Advisory board engagement
• Curriculum changes from industry input
• Wage/promotion outcomes

For longer-term evaluations, qualitative case studies can show economic impact.

Lesson 3: Frame and Share the Data Strategically

How you present findings to industries and economic developers matters. Avoid grant or academic jargon. Use terms they use, like “talent pipeline” and “workforce outcomes,” and connect findings to regional economic goals when possible. Additionally, these partners may not be interested in a lengthy, thorough evaluation. One thing I’ve found to be useful for my PIs is to create a graphic- and chart-heavy “one-pager” with highlights of relevant findings at the beginning of the report. These can be valuable tools for PIs to share with workforce boards, chambers of commerce, and local economic development organizations—especially if they were involved in the grant. Encourage your PIs to use the data to re-engage or initiate conversations: “We’ve placed 15 grads at local manufacturers. What else can we align on?”

As evaluators, we should be doing more than measuring impact—we should be helping inform and strengthen it. ATE evaluations are designed to support ongoing improvement. If you see an opportunity for your project to better engage external partners, say so. With the right data and framing, we can help ATE projects deepen their impact and strengthen their community connections.