Gray Associates Launches New PES+ Which Provides Comprehensive, Current Data on Student Demand, Jobs, and Competition For Over 1,000 Post-Secondary Academic Programs

CONCORD, Mass., April 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Gray Associates today announced the launch of their PES+ (Program Evaluation System) software, which provides unparalleled data on student demand, employment, and competition for each academic program and market in the U.S.  PES+ provides custom scoring rubrics, program ranking, and easy to understand visualizations that allow institutions to make better-informed program decisions.

Bob Atkins, CEO of Gray Associates, says, "After several successful years, it was time to update our software; we are glad the upgrade, PES+, is now available to help clients navigate the fastest-changing environment in recent history.  It will help clients find growth opportunities, reduce cost, and make their academic program portfolio more resilient and productive.  While we include traditional sources, they are slow to update; our data on student demand and employment will include data from March, so our clients can understand and respond to the impact of the Coronavirus on student demand and employment.  For example, we already see a spike in demand for online certificates and degrees."

PES+ includes important new data and features:

• Job Postings:  PES+ includes over 1.4 million job postings, skills, employers, and wages by local market.  The data is updated monthly.  The postings can be searched for specific terms (e.g., a skill) to assess their importance and growth trends.
• International Student Demand:  PES+ includes international page views for study in the U.S. by academic program, degree level, and country of origin.
• Enhanced Interface:  Gray overhauled the user interface to make PES+ easy to use and powerful.  Customized reports and charts can be created that automatically update as the data is refreshed.
• ADA compliant:  The new interface allows the visually-impaired to navigate and read all of Gray's reports.  It is the only ADA compliant labor market software in the education sector.

Like Gray's earlier systems, PES+ is the only solution that combines data on student demand, employment, competition, and degree-level into one-page summaries for decisionmakers and more detailed reports for program leaders and analysts.  PES+ also includes customized market definitions and scoring rubrics that enable institutions to find programs that are uniquely suited to their institutional goals and markets.  Combined with Gray's program workshops, PES+ enables colleges and universities to make data-informed program decisions that strengthen relationships among faculty and administrators.

Most clients use Gray's Program Evaluation System (PES+) as a cornerstone of their program assessments.  In 2019 alone, Gray's systems were used by over 100 institutions that enroll a total of over 1.5 million students.  These include community colleges, state colleges and universities, private not-for-profit institutions, and religiously-affiliated institutions across the country. 

About Gray Associates 

Gray helps colleges and universities make data-informed decisions about their academic programs. Gray's software integrates the best-available data on student demand, employer needs, and competitive intensity for the precise market served by each institution.  Faculty and administrative leaders use the software to score, rank, and evaluate programs in a collaborative process that builds consensus on programs to start, sunset, sustain, or grow.  With Gray's tools and processes, institutions identify paths to increase enrollment, revenue, and efficiency, while investing in their mission and strengthening relationships among faculty and administrators.

Press Contact:
Jackie Lucas
Vera Voce Communication
978-255-1159
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SOURCE Gray Associates