(The Center Square) – Electric vehicle, semiconductor and pharmaceutical manufacturers in Indiana will have greater access to skilled labor through expanded apprenticeship opportunities.
The development initiative is a partnership of Ivy Tech Community College, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development and $8.7 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Apprenticeships will play a key role in staffing employers with skilled workers as the state’s economy develops, according to Sue Smith, vice president of Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering, and Applied Science at Ivy Tech.
“We have about 15,000 manufacturing jobs open in Indiana, and about half need a post-secondary credential. I don’t think we’ll close that gap unless the employers come alongside us and work with us to get folks trained up for this work,” Smith told The Center Square.
“We have tremendous expertise in this area and we’re ready to help expand this program and give solutions to employers who are struggling across the state,” she added.
Ivy Tech, the state’s largest institution of higher learning, will use its $4.7 million in federal funding to develop an apprenticeship hub, which will be a clearing house for matching students to employers and vice versa.
Ivy Tech has approximately 6,000 apprentices working in construction trades, 1,000 in industrial trades, and a small number in health care positions. The school has partnerships with 140 Indiana companies, and with 12 unions via the Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee at 60 locations.
Registered apprenticeships are recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor and have a progressive wage structure and a learning component that brings the apprentice to an expert level in their skill or craft.
“They become a master in their field,” Smith said. “This is an internationally recognized credential.”
The Indiana Department of Workforce Development will use its $4 million grant to expand apprenticeships at WorkOne locations thoughout the state. That includes more than 100 existing apprenticeship programs known as State Earn and Learn.
"The grant will allow Indiana to continue the important work of scaling these programs through its statewide system of intermediaries – the regional workforce boards," said Darrel Zeck, DWD's executive director of the Office of Workforce Solutions and Engagement. "Helping to ensure alignment of needs and resources, with a focus on skills and credentials that employers value, should provide a significant gain in efficiencies and effectiveness across all regions in the state."
Because apprenticeships combine classroom learning and labs with application in the workplace, they create a more skilled and knowledgeable employee than do instruction or on-the-job training alone, according to Smith.
“When you think about it, that’s how we train doctors and others in critical positions,” she said.
Apprenticeships also aid retention.
“What we know from national data that people stay a minimum of five years after they’ve completed their four-year apprenticeship program,” Smith said. “Nine years is almost unheard of in today’s labor market.”
Apprenticeships range upward from one year, depending on the industry.
High-tech, high-wage jobs will be the focus of Ivy Tech’s expanded program.
“We’re focusing first on electric vehicles and the infrastructure around them,” Smith said. “We’re hoping to address future industries like semiconductors and also help pharmaceuticals. I hope we can also expand our health-care apprenticeships.”
