For more information:
Jeff Fanter
(317) 921-4502
jfanter@ivytech.edu                                                                                                                                                                                      

North Central Indiana’s efforts to build a more competitive workforce now and into the future are gaining even more momentum as officials announced today that Ivy Tech Community College will develop a new $3.1 million program to boost the number of Hoosiers receiving training in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

Ivy Tech will receive a $3.178 million grant from the state’s North Central Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative, a 14-county partnership of educators, workforce and economic development officials and other leaders working to rebuild the region’s economy.

The new program is expected to train an estimated 44,000 people in North Central Indiana over the next five years.

The grant will establish New Pathways to STEM-based Careers, a three-pronged program to encourage and enhance STEM training and education to those who need skill enhancement.  The initiative is the culmination of an 18-month effort between Ivy Tech Community College, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, Office of the Governor, and Indiana WIRED.   This collaborative effort that will be led by Ivy Tech Community College will engage businesses, workforce service providers, K-12 leaders, and higher education throughout the region.  The partners will also work together to foster talent development and promote careers in high-wage high-demand jobs across North Central Indiana. 

“This new STEM initiative holds great promise for Indiana’s future,” said Teresa Voors, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.  “It will ensure that more and more of our students graduate from high school with the necessary science, technology, engineering, and math competencies so critical for success in the workplace of the 21st Century.  We look forward to continuing to work with the WIRED initiative and Ivy Tech as we collaborate on this and other initiatives which help grow our economy and workforce.”

Through the new program, Ivy Tech Community College will focus on three distinct pathways: emerging workers, incumbent workers and new programs.  Ivy Tech will provide these educational opportunities in a 14-county area in North Central Indiana, which includes the counties of Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Fountain, Fulton, Howard, Miami, Montgomery, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Wabash, Warren and White.  These counties are serviced by Ivy Tech Community College’s Lafayette and Kokomo regions.  The community college plans to use this regional effort as a pilot to be implemented in other regions across the state as more look at opportunities in transformational workforce initiatives and the resources to provide the leadership and investment to make it work. 

“A majority of STEM-based careers in Indiana require a two-year degree or an industry-recognized certification,” said Thomas J. Snyder, President of Ivy Tech Community College.  “Ivy Tech Community College is designed to meet this need and is the state’s designated pathway for those that seek employment in STEM fields, or wish to pursue a bachelor’s degree in such fields, but cannot enter directly into a four-year college or university.  Ivy Tech’s accessibility and affordability removes barriers that may otherwise prevent Hoosiers from pursing these career paths.  It is clear to us here at Ivy Tech that there must be a strong link between education, workforce and the economy.  That link is very clear in the development of this program.”

WIRED is a federal initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and is designed to transform the nation’s economy through regional partnerships and cooperation.  The Indiana WIRED project, which is overseen by Purdue University, began in 2006 when the U.S. Department of Labor awarded $15 million to North Central Indiana for the first phase of WIRED.   The goal of Indiana WIRED is to transform the North Central Indiana economy by creating new networks that can quickly create, recognize and act upon economic opportunities.

“Talented people are a region’s most important asset in 21st Century knowledge and skills based economies.  Innovation and creativity drive competitiveness. Advanced technical skills, critical thinking, and teamwork abilities are vital workforce characteristics for successful, technology driven businesses,”  Purdue University Interim Provost Vic Lechtenberg said.  “Purdue is pleased to collaborate with Ivy Tech Community College and support their strategic initiative in Pathways to STEM-Based Careers.  This initiative will prepare current and future workers for successful careers in our region’s opportunity-focused economy.”

The emerging workers pathways will provide opportunities for study and enrichment for those that have not yet entered the workforce, including pre-college students who interact through special programs and visits, high school juniors and seniors who take college-level courses, and college students who have not yet become a permanent part of the workforce.   The initiative is designed to interest middle and high school students in STEM curricula with dual credit opportunities for high school and college courses, while better preparing college students to enter the workforce.

New Pathways to STEM-based Careers will also provide opportunities for existing workers to update their skills or to learn new skills and change career paths.  Both Ivy Tech Community College regions will serve up to 1,000 individuals pursuing skill advancement, particularly in manufacturing and industrial technology.

The third prong of the program will focus on the creation of new academic programs to provide new opportunities for study in areas that have not previously been available but are considered key to developing North Central Indiana’s economy.  This includes the emerging and rapidly growing fields of sustainable energy.

 Ivy Tech Community College is one of the nation’s largest statewide community college systems and the state’s second largest public post-secondary institution with more than 110,000 students enrolled annually.  Ivy Tech has 23 campuses throughout Indiana.  It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana.  It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.