When the pandemic began in early March, Brandy Bast, a graduate of the Skillful Indiana Governor’s Coaching Corps and manager of career and professional development at Marian University Indianapolis, gave students and alumni presentations on how to prepare for all things career-related: resume writing, cover letter reviews, job applications, etc. 

Brandy had to get creative to continue supporting her students in this new virtual world, so she started what she calls “Candid Career Chats,” “HR Huddles,” and “Career Shorts.”

The number of Hoosiers earning certificates has increased by 500 percent over the last decade, according to Indiana’s 2020 Certificates Report released earlier this month by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. This growth coincides with the state’s recent emphasis on short-term credentials to get more Hoosiers into high-demand, good paying jobs quickly—particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

One option driving much of the recent growth is Indiana’s Next Level Jobs Workforce Ready Grant, a program that in most cases covers 100 percent of tuition costs for workforce education and training in some of the state’s highest-demand industry sectors—including Health & Life Sciences, IT & Business Services, Advanced Manufacturing, Transportation & Logistics, and Building & Construction.

“By focusing state resources to support the sectors and programs we know will have the greatest benefit for individual Hoosiers, in terms of job placement and earning potential, we also ensure the greatest return on investment to drive our economy forward through and far beyond the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Commissioner Teresa Lubbers.

Read the full report and other Commission reports at www.che.in.gov/reports.