Alumni Workforce Outcomes

FAQs

Lightcast FAQs

What is Lightcast?

Lightcast  is a company that gathers and integrates economic, labor market, demographic, education, profile, and job posting data from dozens of government and private-sector sources, to create a comprehensive and current dataset that includes both published data and detailed estimates with full United States coverage.

What resources are available for Lightcast?

Lightcast offers a knowledge base  that provides resources, such as glossary, data methodology, and FAQs.

Alumni Workforce Outcomes Data FAQs

What key questions can the dashboard answer?

Alumni Outcomes data can answer key questions about how CSUF alumni are using their education in the real world, such as:

• Which employers are hiring our alumni, and what job titles do they hold?
• Are alumni employed in the fields related to their program of study?
• What are alumni’s estimated earnings?
• What skills do alumni have?
• Are alumni staying within CSUF’s service region (i.e., Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County), or migrating out of the region?
• What other institutions have CSUF alumni attended?

What can the dashboard be used for?

With the goal of demonstrating the real-world value of a degree from CSUF, Alumni Outcomes can serve programs in many ways:

• Program Review
  Validate successful programs, discover new opportunities for growth, and identify programs that may be underperforming.
• Employer Engagement
  Build strategic partnerships with industries/businesses hiring CSUF alumni.
• Grant Writing and Fundraising
  Support and strengthen grant proposals with career data for CSUF alumni.
• Academic and Career Advising
  Help current and prospective students realize the full breadth of opportunities their education/program offers and set realistic career goals based on CSUF alumni’s actual employment outcomes.
• Marketing and Recruitment
  Engage prospective students by demonstrating alumni success. 

How was the Alumni Workforce Outcomes Dashboard developed?

Lightcast matched labor market data compiled from various sources (e.g., government agencies, job postings, online profiles/resumes) to a CSUF database of student records. To count as a matched record, a profile has to match the institution’s past student information on the name and at least one of the following: contact information or award information (such as graduation year, program name, etc.).

What specific information does Alumni Workforce Outcomes Dashboard provide?

Our Alumni Workforce Outcomes Dashboard provides the following information: occupation, job title, employer, location, industry, estimated wages, self-reported skills, certifications, and other schools they attended.

How does Lightcast decide if alumni are working in the field of study?

Lightcast compares the SOC code of a profile’s most recent job to our custom CIP-SOC mapping to determine whether the job is in or out of the field of study indicated by the CIP code the institution provided. The mapping is based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk and the experience of Lightcast’s Professional Services team. In cases where no determination is possible, web reports indicate “out of field.”

Is Alumni Workforce Outcomes data available to all faculty and staff?

All CSUF faculty and staff can access data on Tableau at the Alumni Workforce Outcomes Dashboard  page using their university login. Any additional questions or inquiries can be addressed by emailing [email protected].