SW Indiana Employers, Ivy Tech Detail Workforce Collaboration

The Ivy Tech Southwest Region has three campuses

Five companies with a presence in southwest Indiana are partnering with Ivy Tech Community College to boost identification, training and employment. The collaboration includes laboratory equipment for the college’s new process operations technical certificate through its School of Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering & Applied Science program. Ivy Tech says the partnership with SABIC, Valero, Green Plains Inc. and CountryMark in Mount Vernon and Mead Johnson Nutrition in Evansville will also include advisory board membership and create internship and scholarship opportunities.

SABIC donated $147,000 and CountryMark and Valero gave $20,000 and $15,000, respectively. Evansville Campus Chancellor Jonathan Weinzapfel says "this partnership is providing a creative solution to address what is being called a ‘silver tsunami’ as many in the workforce are at, or nearing, retirement. Students in this program will be prepared to enter the workforce in one year, and benefit from scholarships provided by the companies, as well as internship opportunities. Because of these retirements, these companies have a great need for trained process technicians to operate equipment in the production process." Weinzapfel added SABIC has already developed a training plan for positions that are slated to open in the coming months and years, hailing it as "a groundbreaking concept" that will be a model others will follow.

You can connect to more about the partnership, donation and technical certificate by clicking here.