Friday, June 21, 2019
Gov. Eric Holcomb recently announced more Hoosiers are achieving advanced education and training beyond a high school diploma.
According to new data from Lumina Foundation, in 2018 the number of Hoosiers with education beyond a high school diploma reached 43.4% – a 10 percentage point increase since 2008.
This increase is due in part to the Next Level Jobs program, which aims to elevate Indiana’s workforce by providing Hoosiers the opportunity to enroll in high-value certificate programs.
In 2017, the Indiana General Assembly created the Workforce Ready Grant – an initiative that pays for adults to complete certificate programs.
During the 2019 legislative session, the General Assembly passed House Enrolled Act 1002 to improve job-training programs by expanding the Workforce Ready Grant to all colleges approved by the Commission for Higher Education in addition to Ivy Tech Community College and Vincennes University. The Workforce Ready Grant works like a scholarship, covering the number of credits required to obtain the certificate.
Since the launch of this grant, more than 15,800 Hoosiers have enrolled in the program, and nearly 7,000 of them have completed a certificate program in some of Indiana’s most in demand sectors, including health care, information technology and advanced manufacturing.
It is imperative Hoosiers have the skills necessary to thrive in Indiana’s work environment, which drives our economy, and Senate Republicans will continue to support measures to strengthen our state’s workforce.
For more information on career-training opportunities, visit NextLevelJobs.org.
To learn more about HEA 1002 and other workforce development related legislation passed during the 2019 legislative session, click here.
