The Indiana General Assembly enacted legislation in 2013 at the request of Governor Mike Pence to create a new process to identify, develop and promote innovative approaches to Career Technical Education (CTE) to fill workforce gaps and grow the state’s economy.
Eleven Regional Works Councils were created, bringing together more than 160 educational, workforce, and business and industry leaders to evaluate local educational programming, business needs and potential skills gaps between the two. The Works Councils further Governor Pence’s ideals of technical training options which encourage all students to achieve success whether they want to go to college, learn a trade, or start their careers right out of high school.
Brad Bishop, OrthoWorx Executive Director, was appointed the chair of the Region 2 Works Council, which includes Kosciusko, Elkhart, Fulton, Marshall and St. Joseph counties. Because of the concentration of advanced manufacturing activity supporting the orthopedic device cluster, elements of these innovative pathways were already underway in Kosciusko County.
“Our work in bringing orthopedic manufacturing professionals together with representatives from the Warsaw Area Career Center and Ivy Tech to discuss a pathway to a machining career is an example of the goals of the Works Council,” said Bishop. “The emphasis is on high value, high demand jobs and aligning all of a region’s resources in support of filling those jobs with well-equipped Hoosiers.”
Many high demand jobs in Indiana do not require college degrees but do require technical preparation that might include dual credit classes in high school, work-based experiences such as internships and certifications issued by national industry organizations.
The Works Council legislation also includes the opportunity for regions to apply for grants supporting innovative CTE pathways and curricula and may lead to new policy or legislation that capitalizes on Indiana’s potential to strengthen important industries.
