In an April 8 ceremony recognizing New Castle Career Center’s SEAL certification, Claire Berger, Regional Director in the OWBLA, said, “The New Castle Career Center’s healthcare, machine tool, and welding SEAL programs are strong examples of what quality work-based learning education should look like. Not only do they provide rigorous in-class instruction, but they also allow students to experience relevant, real-time work-based learning opportunities.  Strong partnerships with area businesses are key to these opportunities. New Castle has a long history of cultivating such partnerships.”

A breakdown of each SEAL program:

• Welding – Three credentials (two AWS certifications), 34 credits and a certificate of Structural Welding from Ivy Tech Community College, and over 1,000 hours of related instruction and on-the-job training.
• Health Science (CNA) – Four industry-recognized credentials (CNA, Dementia Care, CPR, and Professional Rescuer), 26 Ivy Tech credits, and over 1,000 hours of related instruction and on-the-job training; in addition to employment and apprenticeship opportunities with area Trilogy partners – Glen Oaks Health System, The Springs of Richmond, Forest Park Health Campus, and Springhurst Health Campus.
• Precision Machining - Five NIMS certifications, 31 transferrable credits and a certificate in Machine Tool Technology from Ivy Tech Community College, and over 1,000 hours of related instruction and work-based learning.

Business partners expressed their support for the New Castle programs, with Serena Loveall, Director of Nursing at Heritage House of New Castle, said, “I support the program and look forward to new and excited students every year; this is a great opportunity for students to see the many avenues of healthcare. It is also a great way for students to have a job while learning and deciding on healthcare careers.”

Shelley York, HR Director at Crown Equipment Corp., said, “Crown understands the importance of a skilled workforce. Our relationship with New Castle Career Center is a valuable investment in the future of U.S. manufacturing that helps provide career opportunities and ensures we have the qualified workers we need. We’re truly taking control of our future by training our next generation workforce.”

High school students also value the programs.

“I am so glad to finally be able to go to clinical. Being able to help these amazing people and work alongside such caring individuals has made such a huge impact on me already. All the work that us students and our teachers have put in to get us where we are is paying off and I can't wait to be able to continue doing my part in healthcare,” said Brooklyn Brantlinger, a Shenandoah High School healthcare student.

Certified State Earn and Learn programs are Indiana’s state-level pre-apprenticeships. They are designed to deliver work and learn experience for participants along with the skills and certifications that employers value.

SEAL programs are geared toward both adult and youth populations, and they satisfy Indiana’s new graduation pathway requirements. SEAL programs are state-certified through the Office of Work-Based Learning and Apprenticeship (OWBLA), which is part of Gov. Eric Holcomb’s Next Level Agenda.

The OWBLA works with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship, education providers, employers, community and labor organizations, and Regional Workforce Development Boards to develop programs across Indiana.

For more information about SEAL programs, please visit www.INwbl.com or contact the Office of Work-Based Learning and Apprenticeship at WBL@dwd.IN.gov.