ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
Apollo Insights’ data-driven workforce transformation Apollo Insights is another emblem of the Zimin Institute’ s power to take a great idea and nurture it to startup creation and incubation. This new startup aims to tackle a pressing issue for fast-evolving urban regions – transforming the local workforce in response to broader economic shifts imposed by external forces such as natural disasters or pandemics or by internal intentional policy shifts, including particularly those driven by energy transition.
“ The focus is to define the best pathways to transform the workforce for a region where the economy is transforming,” Gregory says.“ For example, imagine a high fidelity, robust decision tool that could guide policymakers in Germany as their Energiewende initiative bids farewell to nuclear energy, expands renewables, and seeks to build a climateneutral economy”. He adds:“ with the Phoenix metro area’ s unprecedented renaissance in high tech manufacturing along with an explosion in energy-hungry data centre development, the tool would be incredibly valuable to policymakers and planners here and now.”
In the context of the rapidly evolving global and local landscapes, the Zimin Institute funded a project led by ASU Sustainability Scientist Dr. Shade Shutters, to develop and validate just such a tool. Using advanced complexity science and a robust adaptive framework linked to vast datasets – spanning technologies, labour market dynamics and geopolitical factors – Shade’ s tool provides cities and regions with status snapshots that identify strengths, gaps and routes for socio-economic evolution and progress.
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