Up to $20 Million in
Grants Available Through Department of Workforce Development’s Skill UP Indiana!
Program
INDIANAPOLIS (June 5, 2017) – The
Indiana Department of Workforce Development’s (DWD) employer-driven Skill UP Indiana!
Program is about to enter round three.
At stake over a two-year period is a pool of up to $20 million in grant
funding that is being made available to financially support Innovation Networks
to provide more and better avenues for skill-specific training and
certification.
“We often hear from
employers who tell us they cannot find qualified candidates to fill open
high-wage, high demand positions,” said Steve Braun, DWD Commissioner. “The goal of Skill UP Indiana! is to
encourage regional networks and industry partnerships that meet these employer
needs through training, education and certification.”
The grant application
process will include three steps. Step I
(planning phase application) has a deadline of July 14 for interested groups to
submit an application. Step II (planning
phase implementation) will run from July 17 to Oct. 1. During this time applicants participate in
DWD-led employer advisory groups in which DWD data will be used to validate
demand and identify local business or industry challenges and issues. Finally, Step III (final proposal), with a
still-to-be determined deadline, will be the submission of the final proposal by
the network or partnership in which they create industry-focused solutions
based on information received and lessons learned during the planning process. Successful grant applicants will be announced
in early 2018.
The challenge for the
state and its employers in meeting needs is significant, but the opportunities for
potential employees are endless. DWD
data indicates that 1 million-plus jobs across the state will need to be filled
over the next decade. Thousands of these
jobs representing more than 100 occupations are projected to require some type
of certificate or certification in addition to a high school diploma. That’s where Skill UP comes in.
“A majority of the more
than 1 million jobs will not need a college degree, but rather further training
and certification beyond high school currently either not available or hard to
find,” said Mike Barnes, DWD Associate Chief Operating Officer for Employer
Engagement. “Skill UP was created to
fill this gap by using employer-driven data to create new learning and
development approaches for the most highly-desired skill sets. Innovation Networks enable stakeholders to
collaborate and find solutions.”
The program was
originally launched in 2015 but its new structure now encourages the formation
of Innovation Networks, which include Sector Partnerships. Innovation Networks consist of employers,
educators, economic and workforce development groups and other community
organizations that come together to develop skills of students and adults in a
local market. Sector Partnerships bring
together multiple employers from a single industry along with educators,
economic and workforce development groups and community organizations to
develop workers for that industry.
Each grant will vary
in amount and depend on resource needs, anticipated outcomes and engagement
levels of the group’s participants. Some
of the outcomes DWD seeks when evaluating grant applications are an understanding
of employer demands, ensuring that training programs meet employer needs,
providing easily-accessible training programs, establish shared resources, and
establishing internships, apprenticeships and other forms of stackable
training.
One early Innovation
Network participant was Grote Industries based in Madison, Ind.
“The
Skill UP Indiana program from the Department of Workforce Development is a
great opportunity for our community, and I encourage businesses throughout the
state to take advantage of the program and become a partner,” said Grote
Industries owner Dominic Grote. “We
piloted an innovation network group in Madison through our Envision Jefferson
County effort, and it has set the stage for us to make significant progress in
developing the workforce we need for both now and into the future. Skill
UP will have a major impact on the state’s talent pipeline in the coming
years.”
More information
about Skill UP Indiana including the grant application form and grant
guidelines can be found at http://www.in.gov/dwd/skillup.htm.
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About the Indiana Department of
Workforce Development
DWD
serves the worker and the employer to ensure workplace success. DWD is
committed to innovating and invigorating Indiana’s economic future by providing
WorkOne Career Centers, Unemployment Insurance, Labor Market Information,
Regional Workforce Strategies and Professional Training. Through these
services, DWD is able to develop a premier workforce that enables Indiana
employers to flourish and entices businesses from outside our state to relocate
to Indiana.
For
additional information, contact:
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