Work Simulation Program Growing

(Image courtesy of the town of Bloomfield) Bloomfield Schools were the first participants in the southern Indiana program.

A program designed to create a pipeline for workers at the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center is expanding. The Workplace Simulation Project, which launched two years ago in southern Indiana, will be offered at the school districts in Shoals, Paoli and Springs Valley and at French Lick Resort and Loogootee-based STIMULUS Engineering Services Inc.

The WSP, which is organized by NSWC Crane, Indiana University and DirectEmployers, was first started in Bloomfield Schools in 2015 and Loogootee Schools last year.

NSWC Crane Executive Leadership Team member Brian Blackwell says "I like the idea of taking our employees into the classroom to help with STEM programs, but also to give the students a sense of what it would be like to work for the Warfare Center. Our folks have put a lot of hard work into this program and it is paying off. I’m also excited to see other regional employers follow our lead and team up with additional schools in the region."

Leaders say the goal is to help talented students realize they can have a career in a STEM-related field without leaving the region. The program involves simulation of a task — in this case, establishing a perimeter around a building and countering external threats with a drone. The work is integrated into five different high school classes and a final presentation is delivered at year’s end.