New Office to Skill-up Workforce ‘As Quickly as Possible’

Holcomb made the announcement at Stark Industries in Terre Haute.

Governor Eric Holcomb has launched a new state office designed to help Hoosiers skill-up for in-demand fields. The Office of Apprenticeships & Work-Based Learning seeks to double the number of Indiana residents participating in apprenticeships and work-based learning programs by 2020. Holcomb says the office will also expand such opportunities for students and working adults in a more diverse range of industries.

During a ceremonial signing of an executive order for the new office at Terre Haute-based CNC machining company Stark Industries, Holcomb said more than 80,000 jobs throughout the state are going unfilled and "we can’t wait for students to get out of school to fill them." He says working adults need to gain needed skills as quickly as possible. "That’s why expanding opportunities for working adults, in particular, is so critical – because they need to ability to work and earn money while they learn the skills they need to enter a new career in a high-wage, high-demand field," Holcomb added. "This office makes this possible."

The office is designed to serve as a better communications and connection point for Hoosiers.

View the executive order: