The newly formed NW Indiana Manufacturing Consortium was selected as a recipient of the state’s Skill Up Indiana grant, as proposed by Governor Pence and the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. The grant application, submitted by the Center of Workforce Innovations (CWI) on behalf of the Consortium and the Northwest Indiana Workforce Board, will provide funding to community partnerships to develop training and education programs aligned with local employer needs.
The Consortium will receive $427,571 of the state’s $11 million grant and will match that by 25% with the grant cycle ending August 2017. The intent of the funding will be to equip individuals with skills necessary to fill thousands of regional manufacturing jobs projected to be in highdemand over the next 10 years.
Twenty two region manufacturing employers from the Consortium came together to apply for the Skill-Up grant. The following supporting partners of the grant include the Northwest Indiana Workforce Board, Region 1 Works Council, Conexus Indiana-NC3T Career Pathways, Ivy Tech, and CWI who will serve as fiscal agent and intermediary, managing the project on behalf of the Consortium.
“This grant will allow our manufacturing industry to have a voice on what their needs are related to their workforce,” said Adam Collins, VP of Operations at Kruz, Inc. and former chairman of the Northwest Indiana Workforce Board. “Making sure we address the skill requirements needed to fill jobs is significant,” he added.
Local program goals will include enhancing sector-focused training and education programs for manufacturing occupations, curriculum based on necessary skills and competencies as identified by Consortium members, work readiness training, and work and learn opportunities for Northwest Indiana youth and adult learners.
For further information on Skill Up Indiana, visit www.in.gov/dwd/skillup.htm . For information on the regional Manufacturing Consortium and the local grant, contact Sandra Alvarez at 219-4622940, ext. 33 or salvarez@innovativeworkforce.com