About the Competition

This competition will challenge participating groups to harness their collective analytical skills to delve into the numbers and provide insightful labor force data findings. This includes current and past data supplied through informative data collection sources such as the Bureau of Labor’s various surveys and indexes, such as the Employee Cost Index (ECI), the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), and the Current Population Survey (CPS). Students will create informative dashboards with relevant findings, including occupational employment trends and economic information for a specific region of the United States.

This competition will challenge participating groups to harness their analytical skills, delve into the numbers, and provide insightful labor force data findings surrounding cyber workforce occupations. This includes current and past data supplied through reputable data collection sources such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the U.S. Census Bureau. Students will create informative dashboards with relevant findings, including occupational employment trends and economic information.

Teams selected for participation will craft two dashboards from reliable data sources. These dashboards aim to tell the story of labor trends regarding cyber workforce occupations within a designated area of the United States. These dashboards must present their data creatively and compellingly and be accessible to individuals from all experience levels and occupational backgrounds. Utilization of data visualization tools, statistical analysis, and straightforward storytelling is encouraged, and we strongly recommend teams use their creativity and insight in making their projects.

Dashboards should offer distinct perspectives: one from a job candidate’s point of view and one from a hiring manager’s point of view.

Dashboard 1: Job Candidate’s Perspective:

Present labor data pertinent to a job candidate’s interests, including job trends, salary ranges, geographic employment patterns, and industry-specific insights for a specified region.

Dashboard 2: Hiring Manager’s Perspective:

Present labor data addressing a hiring manager’s needs by showcasing recruitment strategies, hiring trends, turnover rates, skill demand, and workforce dynamics for a specified region.

Standard Occupational Classification codes are part of a classification system that federal agencies use to break down occupations within an industry. For a list of occupations to be analyzed in dashboards, teams should reference SOC code 15-0000. For more information, please visit https://www.bls.gov/soc/.

Fostering a Collaborative Approach: We encourage collaboration across diverse academic backgrounds and hope for students to create interdisciplinary teams, with each student contributing to the research and crafting of the dashboards and bringing a unique perspective to the joint effort. By joining forces across fields like economics, communications, and business, students can blend their expertise to offer comprehensive insights into labor data trends. This collaborative approach celebrates the importance of diverse perspectives in tackling complex real-world challenges.

Team Selection Process: Please remember to complete and submit all application documents before the deadline on April 26, 2024, to be eligible to participate. Each team must submit at least one project proposal with their application. The quality and creativity of any project proposals may be a deciding factor in team selection. Once the application period closes, teams selected for participation will be contacted with additional information regarding their assigned tasks.

Judging and Prizes: Our judges, comprised of distinguished members from unique fields and backgrounds, will evaluate each team’s final dashboards. Those who have created and contributed exceptional work and findings through their final solutions will stand to secure an internship with Avue Technologies, where they may engage in tasks similar to what they have completed during the competition. These internships will provide students with invaluable hands-on experience, further enhancing their understanding of labor statistics and data interpretation in practice.

Internship Opportunities: Our internship opportunities are conducted remotely, ensuring students have access regardless of their time zone or location. We provide both part-time and full-time options. Please be aware that U.S. citizenship is required to participate in our internships.

Full-Time:

Duration: June 2024 to the end of July 2024

Full-time paid internships will begin in June 2024 and continue until the end of July 2024. Students participating in a full-time internship will be expected to work more than 30 hours per week during this period. In addition to gaining invaluable work experience, full-time internships come with comprehensive benefits, including medical, vision, dental, life, and disability insurance, paid time off, paid sick leave, family leave, and 401k benefits.

Part-Time:

Duration: June 2024 onward

Part-time paid positions will begin in June 2024, and students are estimated to work less than 30 hours a week during their internship period. Our part-time internships allow flexibility beyond the summer months, allowing students to continue gaining valuable skills and work experience throughout the academic year.

How to Register: If you are competing in a team, we ask that each team designate one team captain responsible for filling out the initial application. The team captain will provide the contact information for all additional team members and their faculty sponsor for the competition. Additional members registered to a team will receive a separate form to submit their transcript and resume documents.

It is essential that all team members successfully submit their designated forms to be accepted into the applicant pool. Once the application period closes on April 26, 2024, no new teams or students will be accepted, and modifications to a team may only be made in extenuating circumstances.

Competition Timeline:

Registration Closes: April 26, 2024
Competition Begins: April 29, 2024
Final Submissions Closes: May 10, 2024