Work-And-Learn Effort Gains Boost
Indiana Regional Works Councils have been awarded $400,000 in grants to support work-and-learn programs statewide. The funding from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development aims to connect youth with well-paying, in-demand job opportunities.
One-third of Indiana’s population is comprised of people between the ages of 16 and 29. The state says the unemployment rate among this group has been higher than the average worker since the Great Recession.
DWD Commissioner Steven Braun says "work-and-learn programs that align education and training programs to employer demand are essential to filling the over one million Indiana jobs projected to become available over the next decade. This grant program is designed to cultivate frameworks for measurable and sustainable high-quality work-and-learn experiences in communities throughout Indiana."
Recipients include:
- A north central Indiana program geared toward high school juniors and seniors. It involves a Polytech pilot program that would then be rolled out to additional sites throughout the state.
- Internships emphasizing soft skill training and an industry-created framework for high school seniors in Blackford and Jay County and Ivy Tech Community College Students who have completes 15 hours of advanced manufacturing/industrial maintenance coursework.
- Examining successful work-and-learn programs in southeast Indiana in order to scale them throughout the rest of the region.
The full rundown of recipients can be found by clicking here.
You can connect to more information about the Innovative Work-and-Learn Grant program by clicking here.