Despite a low unemployment rate, Indiana has about 95,000 job openings statewide, with another 1 million jobs expected to open up by 2025.
Filling those jobs will be daunting task, and it must be addressed now, Indiana Gov. Eric J. Holcomb said Monday as he announced two state grants that will put more than $20 million into workforce and employer training.
"Growing our workforce and making ourselves ready for this 21 Century ... is something that we have been focused on every day since I took office. We know that here in the western part of the state, there are nearly 2,700 unfilled jobs right now, calling for that workforce," Holcomb said.
The area Holcomb addressed at Great Dane includes Sullivan, Clay, Vigo, Vermillion, Parke and Putnam counties.
About 70 percent of the job openings expected by 2025 will stem from the looming retirement of Baby Boomers, generally considered people born between 1946 and 1964.
"We need ... (to) connect the workforce with those job opportunities today," Holcomb said.
Statewide, there are more than 35,900 jobs unfilled, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.
High-priority and high-demand jobs being targeted under Indiana's "NextLevel Jobs" program include advanced manufacturing, building and construction, information technology and business services, health and services life sciences, as well as transportation and logistics.
"We know ... workforce is our greatest asset here in the state of Indiana. It is really the fuel that enables companies like Great Dane Trailers to prosper well into the future," said Holcomb.
Holcomb was joined by Steve Braun, Indiana's commissioner for workforce development and other state officials. They said a Workforce Ready Grant will cover full tuition costs for adult learners to earn career certificates in high-growth sectors. The first two years of the grants will be paid through $4 million in the state's budget, plus more than $10 million in Indiana Commission for Higher Education aid funds.
Additionally, an Employer Training Grant program will provide up to $2,500 per new employee, with a maximum of $25,000, to qualifying companies that train and retain new hires.
Indiana's Department of Workforce Development will launch a pilot of the grant for 2018 and 2019, paid for with $10 million in Career and Technical Education Innovation and Advancement funds.
Braun said the grants are on a first-come, first-serve basis, "even though we talk about it being over two years, we believe there will be a lot of interest in this program. We want to impact employer needs as quickly as possible."
Accessing the grants can be done online now at www.NextLevelJobs.org. After submitting an application, Hoosiers and employer applicants will receive individualized contact from the Department of Workforce Development or an eligible training provider within 48 hours.
The workforce ready grant will allow workers to earn certificates at Ivy Tech Community College campuses statewide or at Vincennes University. The employer training grants will companies to select how they will train workers, whether through a community college or an in-house program.
Cory R. Lookebill, plant manager at Great Dane's Brazil plant, said the company plans to increase its in-house training.
"This will be a huge help. We have an internal orientation and small tools training program that we offer now and an in-house weld school we offer to any employee who is interested in taking up that skill," Lookebill said. The advanced training results in about a 20-percent increase in pay, he said.
Great Dane's top wage, with skills such as welding, is more than $22 an hour after several years of service, while people starting through a staffing company earn $13 an hour, then gain scheduled increases, Lookebill said.
Lookebill said Great Dane now has 80 to 100 job openings in medium duty trailer assembly, welding, warehousing and quality control, but expects another 250 job openings in the next three to five years, due to retirement.
Great Dane is Clay County's largest employer with about 1,300 employees. The company also has nearly 500 workers at a Great Dane facility in Vigo County.