Second Skillful Indiana Governor's Coaching Corp cohort shares promising
practices to positively impact Hoosier workforce

As 2020 came to a close, 34 Indiana career coaches graduated from the second cohort of the Skillful Indiana Governor’s Coaching Corps (SGCC), a partnership of Skillful and the state of Indiana that recognizes the vital role career coaches play bridging the gap between individuals and employers, supporting economic growth across the state, and guiding professional advancement for thousands of Hoosiers. 

Throughout the program, coaches built their emotional and positive intelligence to better connect with the people they serve and learned design thinking principles to address complex problems. They applied their learnings directly as they worked on their action team projects. For these projects, action team members pooled their on-the-ground expertise, conducted their own research and explored promising practices to address some of the most pressing workforce issues facing Hoosiers. This research culminated in presentations to influential leaders in the workforce and education space.

During these presentations, they outlined their work and provided recommendations on how to move forward by leveraging digital tools to expand the reach of career coaching and identifying best practices for serving the underemployed, for serving a specific segment of the middle-skill population, for education and employer partnerships, for aligning workforce development providers and employers and for collecting data and tracking impact.

A few examples of the innovative solutions that came out of the presentations include:

• A State of Indiana resource guide with scan codes to access 1:1 services
• A case for expanding Next Level Jobs with new incentives for employers and employees who participate in the experience
• Stand-alone kiosks with individual portals to guide Hoosiers to services, especially those who do not have access to a digital device or WiFi
• A state-wide electronic referral management and supportive services information system for better coordinated care
• A new state-led occupation, the Education Workforce Connector, to be placed in each county to build connections between employers and educators and encourage public/private partnerships
• A branding campaign to increase awareness of the benefits of WorkOne services

Last year’s action teams’ recommendations were so well-received, the Skillful Governor’s Coaching Corps was featured in the Indiana Strategic Workforce Plan as "a valuable tool to incorporate ideas from individuals who engage daily with Hoosiers accessing services.” 

The next cohort of the SGCC will build on the work and learnings from the 2020 graduates to continue finding ways to provide Hoosiers with more opportunities!

Click here to learn more about the SGCC: www.skillful.com/indianaSGCC