A Database for a Changing Economy: Review of the Occupational Information Network (O*NET)

232 Pages·2010·1.88 MB·English

by  National Research Council, Panel to Review the Occupational Information Network (O*NET)

Panel to Review the Occupational Information Network (O*NET)
Nancy T. Tippins and Margaret L. Hilton, Editors
Committee on National Statistics
Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Govern-
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councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineer-
ing, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for
the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropri-
ate balance.
This study was supported by Award No. DOLJ081A20686 between the National
Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Department of Labor. The work of the Committee
on National Statistics is supported by a consortium of federal agencies through a
grant from the National Science Foundation (Number SES-0453930). Any opinions,
fndings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of
the author(s) and do not necessarily refect the views of the organizations or agencies
that provided support for the project.
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Suggested citation: National Research Council. (2010). A Database for a Changing
Economy: Review of the Occupational Information Network (O*NET). Panel to
Review the Occupational Information Network (O*NET). Nancy T. Tippins and
Margaret L. Hilton, editors. Committee on National Statistics, Division of Behav-
ioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies
Press.
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www.national-academies.org
PANEL TO REvIEW THE OCCuPATIONAL
INFORMATION NETWORk (O*NET)
NaNcy T. TippiNs (Chair), Valtera Corporation, Greenville,
South Carolina
DaviD auTor, Department of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology
JohN p. campbell, Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota
KeiTh ewalD, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Columbus
richarD Froeschle, Texas Workforce Commission, Austin
les JaNis, Georgia Career Information Center, Georgia State University
virgiNia lesser, Department of Statistics, Oregon State University
Kerry leviN, Westat, Inc., Rockville, Maryland
KeNNeTh pearlmaN, Independent Consultant, Sarasota, Florida
aNN marie ryaN, Department of Psychology, Michigan State University
JuaN i. saNchez, Department of Management and International Business,
Florida International University
william shobe, Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, University of
Virginia
margareT l. hilToN, Study Director
Thomas J. plewes, Associate Study Director
coNsTaNce F. ciTro, Director, Committee on National Statistics
reNée l. wilsoN gaiNes, Senior Project Assistant
v
COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL STATISTICS
william F. eDDy (Chair), Department of Statistics, Carnegie Mellon
University
KaThariNe g. abraham, Department of Economics, University of
Maryland, and Joint P rogram in Survey Methodology
alicia carriquiry, Department of Statistics, Iowa State University
william Dumouchel, Phase Forward, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts
JohN halTiwaNger, Department of Economics, University of Maryland
v. Joseph hoTz, Department of Economics, Duke University
KareN KaFaDar, Department of Statistics, Indiana University
Douglas s. massey, Department of Sociology, Princeton University
sally morToN, Statistics and Epidemiology, RTI International, Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina
Joseph Newhouse, Division of Health Policy Research and Education,
Harvard University
samuel h. presToN, Population Studies Center, University of
Pennsylvania
hal sTerN, Department of Statistics, University of California, Irvine
roger TouraNgeau, Joint Program on Survey Methodology, University
of Maryland, and Survey Research Center, University of Michigan
alaN zaslavsKy, Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical
School
coNsTaNce F. ciTro, Director
vi
Acknowledgments
his report would not have become a reality without the hard work
of study panel members, important contributions of leadership and
Tstaff of the National Research Council (NRC), and many other in-
dividuals and organizations.
First, we acknowledge the support of the Employment and Training
Administration (ETA) of the U.S. Department of Labor. We particularly
thank O*NET/Competency Modeling Team Leader Pamela Frugoli, whose
initial request for the study, ongoing engagement with the panel, and re-
sponsiveness to our questions supported the development of the report.
We are especially grateful to the experts who quickly responded to our
request for presentations and written materials related to O*NET. At our
frst meeting, Pamela Frugoli and Gay Gilbert of ETA provided an overview
of the key questions to be addressed in the study, and David Rivkin and Phil
Lewis, O*NET technical offcers, presented an overview of the development
and current status of the O*NET database and its uses.
At our second meeting, we explored different uses of O*NET. We
would like to thank Lance Anderson, ICF International; Hope Clark, In-
diana Department of Workforce Development; Rada Dorman, Manpower,
Inc.; Dan Erdmann, University of Oregon; Bonnie Graybill, California
Employment Development Department; G. Francis Green, University of
Kent, UK; P. Richard Jeanneret, Valtera Corporation; Sylvia Karman, Social
Security Administration; Phil Lewis, National Center for O*NET Develop-
ment; Brian O’Leary, Offce of Personnel Management; Don Phillips, XAP
Corporation; Douglas Reamer, New York Department of Labor; David
vii
viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Rivkin, National Center for O*NET Development; Dixie Sommers, Bureau
of Labor Statistics; and Jane Styer, Department of Defense.
At our third meeting, experts provided perspectives on how O*NET
might be improved to increase its usefulness and the quality of the data.
We thank Marcus Berzofsky, RTI International; Scott Butler, The Usability
Team; Erich Dierdorff, DePaul University; Michael Handel, Northeastern
University; Robert J. Harvey, Virginia Polytechnic Institute; Fred Morgeson,
Michigan State University; Michael Penne, RTI International; Elizabeth
Sadler, University of Virginia; Marilyn Silver, JBS Associates; and Suzanne
Tsacoumis, Human Resources Research Organization.
We thank our colleagues on the panel for their enthusiasm, hard work,
and collaborative spirit in writing this report.
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen
for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with
procedures approved by the Report Review Committee of the NRC. The
purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical com-
ments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound
as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for
objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the charge. The review com-
ments and draft manuscript remain confdential to protect the integrity
of the process. We thank the following individuals for their review of this
report: Lance E. Anderson, Human Capital Strategies, ICF International,
Fairfax, VA; Andrew Crapuchettes, Chairman’s Offce, Economic Model-
ing Solutions, Moscow, ID; J.W. Cunningham, Department of Psychology
Emeritus, North Carolina State University; Donald W. Drewes, Department
of Psychology, North Carolina State University; Sigrid B. Gustafson, Health
Research and Policy Analysis, American Institutes for Research, Chapel
Hill, NC; Richard W. Judy, Chairman’s Offce, Workforce Associates, India-
napolis, IN; S. Morton McPhail, Offce of the Senior Vice President, Valtera
Corporation, Houston, TX; Frederick P. Morgeson, Eli Broad Graduate
School of Management, Michigan State University; Ron Page, Assessment
Associates International, LLC, Minnetonka, MN; Norman G. Peterson,
Research Directorate, Satisfaction Performance Research Center, Inc., Min-
neapolis, MN; Jay J. Pfeiffer, Senior Associate, MPR Associates, Inc; and
Alan R. Tupek, Chairman’s Offce, Arbitron, Inc., Columbia, MD.
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive com-
ments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions
or recommendations, nor did they see the fnal draft of the report before
its release. The review of this report was overseen by Neal W. Schmitt,
Department of Psychology and Management, Michigan State University.
Appointed by the NRC, he was responsible for making certain that an
independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with
institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully con-
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix
sidered. Responsibility for the fnal content of this report rests entirely with
the authoring panel and the institution.
We are grateful for the leadership and support of Michael Feuer, execu-
tive director of the NRC’s Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and
Education, and Constance Citro, director of the Committee on National
Statistics. We are particularly grateful for the work of Thomas Plewes, asso-
ciate study director, who developed the study scope, assembled an excellent
panel and an array of useful background materials, and provided invaluable
contributions throughout the study process. Finally, we thank Renée L.
Wilson Gaines, senior project assistant in the Center for Education, for her
assistance in supporting the panel at every stage of its deliberations and in
preparing drafts and revisions of the report.
Nancy Tippins, Chair
Margaret Hilton, Study Director
Panel to Review the Occupational
Information Network (O*NET)