Governor’s Workforce Cabinet details strategic plan

INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) — The Governor’s Workforce Cabinet has unveiled the Indiana Strategic Workforce Plan. The cabinet says the plan, titled “A Better Future for Every Hoosier”, focuses on ensuring equal opportunities for lifelong learning among all Hoosiers, increasing personal economic mobility, and providing employers with the talent to grow and diversify their workforce.

The state says the plan aims to create a talent development system that aligns early learning, K-12 education, postsecondary education, and workforce training. The plan is designed to be implemented over the next five years.

“‘A Better Future for Every Hoosier’ represents a collaborative effort among business leaders, lawmakers, state agencies and educators, as well as nonprofit and private partners, to better serve all Hoosiers and provide equitable opportunities for education and training, employment and ultimately upward economic mobility,” P.J. McGrew, executive director of the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet, said in a news release. “We are committed to continuing work with all stakeholders to implement this Plan and see positive outcomes for all Hoosiers as a result.”

The cabinet says the plan centers talent development efforts on the needs of specifically targeted populations. Those populations have been identified as needing additional support from the state’s workforce and social services systems.

The plan identifies specific strategies to accomplish its goal:

• Data sharing – Improving data sharing will allow for better understanding of who the state serves, where they are being served and how the state serves them.
• Co-enrollment – This strategy will ensure all Hoosiers are served holistically with a data-informed package of services that work together to meet their unique needs.
• Co-location – The plan identifies a number of different ways for entities to improve customer service by strategically locating staff in ways that break down barriers for individuals when they access state services.
• Cross-training – To effectively implement other strategies, the plan recognizes the importance of increasing state, local and front-line staff knowledge of programs and resources across Indiana’s talent development system to better serve Hoosiers.
• Employer engagement – The plan calls for sharing information with Hoosier businesses about the benefits of Indiana’s talent development system and encouraging them to engage with key populations.

The strategic plan will be submitted as the state’s federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act plan by April 1. The cabinet says the plan can be implemented once it receives federal approval.

You can view the full plan by clicking here.