 DWD Awards $7.7 Million in Skill UP Grants to 12 Regional Partnerships
INDIANAPOLIS
(October 20, 2016) – The Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) today
awarded 12 industry-led regional partnerships nearly $7.7 million during the
second cycle of the Skill UP Indiana! grant program. The program provides
funding to develop training and education programs that align with local
employer needs. Awardees will use grant funds to equip Hoosiers with the skills
necessary to fill the one million jobs projected to be available over the next
decade.
“Skill UP grants enable regional partnerships to enhance skill
attainment in the local workforce that meets employer demand for high-skilled
employees both now and into the future ,” said Steven J. Braun, Commissioner of
the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. “The positive results from the
first Skill UP grant cycle are already being realized in communities throughout
Indiana and this second group of grantees will engage even more students
and incumbent workers in career- and skill-development opportunities."
The Skill UP Indiana! grant program was created to encourage
development of sector-focused training and education programs for in-demand
occupations at the regional level. Curriculum and training will be centered on necessary skills and competencies identified by local
employers. The regional partnerships will also focus on employability skills
(soft skills) instruction that can be utilized across all careers and
work-and-learn opportunities for youth and adult learners.
Funding for this initiative was made available in the most
recent biennial budget for innovation and advancement in career and technical
education and workforce development. Regional partnerships also had to obtain a
minimum private sector match of 25 percent of the requested grant funding.
“The business community demonstrated the value it places in
these educational partnerships through their commitment to developing a
highly-skilled local workforce,” said Braun. “Grantees in the second grant
cycle overwhelmingly exceeded the minimum 25-percent match by
contributing a cumulative $6.1 million to regional programs.”
Thirty-four regional partnerships requested over $25 million in
funding during the second Skill UP Indiana! grant cycle. Nearly $19 million in
funding has been distributed during the first two grant cycles to programs
located throughout Indiana. Specific
information regarding recipients, a snapshot of their individual proposed
programs, grant award totals, private matching dollars, as well as other Skill
UP Indiana! details can found at http://in.gov/dwd/skillup.htm.
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