Ivy Tech Community College and Gaylor Electric are partnering with Launch Fishers, all Hamilton County school corporations and 26 additional employers to organize the Hamilton County Workforce Innovation Network. The network has been awarded a $1.46 million Skill Up grant from the Department of Workforce Development.
According to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, Indiana needs to fill 1 million jobs in the next 10 years. Of this 1 million, Hamilton County needs to educate and train approximately 50,000 workers in the next decade. Many of these jobs will be filled by retraining current workers and adults who are returning to the workforce.
The Hamilton County Workforce Innovation Network will provide education and training for middle skills jobs in information technologies, skilled trades and innovative manufacturing that require industry certifications and associate degrees. The partnership between Hamilton County employers and educators will provide state-of-the art workforce training for students entering the workforce and adults seeking retraining.
Ivy Tech’s partnership with Hamilton County high schools provides opportunities for high school juniors and seniors to earn 12 college credits in information technology and construction. These students earn both industry certifications and credits toward associate degrees. They can also gain work experience through internships and apprenticeships.
“Information technology, construction and manufacturing jobs are being changed by robotics, cloud computing, mobile apps, virtual reality simulations and the Internet of Things,” said Dr. Kathleen Lee, chancellor of Ivy Tech Indianapolis. “Our Hamilton County partnerships are training a workforce for the future.”
The Hamilton County Workforce Innovation Network will focus on the impact of new technologies on job skills.
Ivy Tech Hamilton County houses many of the State’s adult education and training services in the same facility in Noblesville. An Excel Center Adult High School, the Hinds Career Center Adult Basic Education program and an Indiana Work One training center work together with Ivy Tech to provide programs for all adults seeking workforce training.