Map 6-digit CIP codes to SOC occupation codes using the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk for workforce program alignment reporting

Steps

1. Download the CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk file from https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/ (Excel or CSV format); this is the current official crosswalk published jointly by NCES and BLS
2. Parse the crosswalk: each row maps a 6-digit CIP code (e.g., 11.0101 for Computer and Information Sciences, General) to one or more 6-digit SOC codes (e.g., 15-1252.00)
3. Note that the relationship is many-to-many: one CIP code may map to multiple SOC codes, and one SOC code may appear under multiple CIP codes; build a lookup table accordingly
4. For Perkins V and workforce reporting, use the CIP-to-SOC mapping to document that a CTE program aligns to in-demand occupations; include the SOC title and BLS wage data as supporting evidence
5. Retrieve BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) data via the BLS public API at https://api.bls.gov/publicAPI/v2/timeseries/data/ using the OES series ID pattern OES{areacode}{SOCcode}{datatype} for wage data lookup
6. Validate CIP codes against the authoritative IPEDS CIP code lookup tool at https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/search.aspx before submitting in federal reports