Batesville, In. —Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb unveiled the “Next Level Jobs Initiative” in front of about 75 people at the Hillenbrand Industries Headquarters in Batesville Tuesday. Information about the plan is online at nextleveljobs.org/2017. The plan is intended to help Hoosiers find high-paying, high-demand jobs.
The plan is designed to help five categories of industries- IT & Business Services, Building and Construction, Advanced Manufacturing, Health & Life Sciences and Transportation and Logistics. These business sectors are struggling to find workers at a time when unemployment rates are at historic lows and there are at least 100,000 positions available.
The ten year outlook suggests there could be as many as 1 million jobs available due to a combination of retirement and economic growth.
The Workforce Ready Grant will cover full tuition costs for adults to earn career certificates in high-growth. Ivy Tech Community College and Vincennes University will offer the certificates. The grant was created by the Indiana General Assembly last year.
The Employer Training Grant was developed by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development and helps defray the cost of training for employers. The grant will provide up to $2,500 to qualifying businesses for each employee that requires training or retraining and remains employed for at least six months.
Batesville Casket president, Chris Trainor said, “A trained, efficient workforce is vital to the economic success of all businesses and it’s encouraging to see the administration give it the attention it deserves.”
