Manufacturing Assistance Program Needs Assessment Guide: Volume 1: Regional Needs Assessment Approaches

This document, “Manufacturing Assistance Program Needs Assessment Guide, Volume 1: Regional Needs Assessment Approaches,” published by The Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group, describes seven approaches for assessing the needs of manufacturers at a regional level. Here’s a summary of the key aspects:

• Purpose: The guide is designed to help directors of technical and management assistance programs serving private industry, especially during program start-up, to effectively allocate resources and tailor services. It also serves as a resource for other audiences involved in industrial policy and economic development.
• Definition of Needs Assessment: It defines a needs assessment as a tool to determine manufacturing practices that fall short of or can be improved with reference to a benchmark, and to identify the likelihood of firms using assistance services effectively.
• Types of Assessments: The document distinguishes between regional-level assessments (covered in this volume, focusing on industry sectors, concentrations, and field office locations) and firm-level assessments (covered in Volume 2, focusing on one-on-one interactions).
• Seven Approaches to Regional Needs Assessment:
  1. Share and Location Quotient Analyses: Identify significant industries based on their share of establishments/employees and compare regional shares to national ones.
  2. Core Industry Analysis: Identifies industries that significantly contribute to the economy through value added, export potential, or strong linkages with suppliers.
  3. Cluster Analysis: Identifies geographic concentrations of firms to help define service regions and locate field offices.
  4. Needs Surveys: Directly ask manufacturing firms about their problems, desired functions, and assistance needs.
  5. Technology Use Surveys: Catalog current manufacturing practices and technology adoption rates to infer needs and inform service offerings.
  6. Advisory/User Groups: Facilitate discussions among manufacturers (advisory groups for common interests, user groups for feedback on services) to identify needs and generate ideas.
  7. Historical Program Data: Analyze past program activities, client characteristics, problems, and assistance provided to inform resource allocation and service adjustments.
• Key Considerations: The guide emphasizes that there is no single “right” approach, assessment tools are continually evolving, and case examples are illustrative rather than endorsements of “best practices.”
• Defense Conversion: A dedicated section addresses special considerations for assessing the needs of defense-dependent firms, including data sources and survey questions.
• Methodology: The guide’s content is based on surveys and site visits to over a dozen manufacturing assistance programs across the United States.