IWU Program Focusing on Growing Talent

Indiana Wesleyan University is offering a new educational opportunity it says will give students a real “bang for their buck.” The UpSkill Forward program provides access to online training programs designed for specific in-demand careers in areas such as aerospace, automotive and commercial industries. IWU National & Global Chancellor Matt Lucas says the program is a response to the fact that not everyone needs a degree, but everyone needs an education.

Lucas discussed the program in a recent interview on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick. 

The program is part of IWU’s Talent Ladder division and Lucas says aims to help bridge the gap between training and education and address the struggles of talent attraction and retention among employers.

“Sometimes, an entire degree is overwhelming,” said Lucas. “So we kind of built a program that’s stackable that gives you what you need in time so you can get the job and then if you decide to come back for further education because that’s helpful for you, you can do that.”

Lucas says the university also partnered with businesses to develop the program in an effort to help them better strategize their talent attraction and retention plans. 

The UpSkill Forward program comes at a low cost, starting at about $50, and can be completed in a very short amount of time. Lucas says the program features an industry-based curriculum.

“We developed some certificates for specific programs: aerospace, automotive, manufacturing and logistics. It’s completely online and completely self-paced. At the end of going through the course work, you take a nationally-certified test that gives you a certificate that recognizes the completion. These certificates are created with the best-in-class experts around the country.”

Lucas adds the university will also recognize up to six college credits with the completion of the courses. IWU will soon launch associate degrees in manufacturing and logistics, for which the credits would count.

You can learn more about the program by clicking here.