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Tag Archives: advanced manufacturing

Taking Employee Skills to the ‘Next Level’

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Over the next decade, more than one million jobs must be filled in Indiana. Governor Holcomb recently announced enhancements to the Employer Training Grant component of the Next Level Jobs initiative, which prepares Hoosiers for positions in high-demand industry sectors.

What’s different? As of May 1, the reimbursement amount per new employee jumped from $2,500 to $5,000. The cap per employer also doubled – from $25,000 to $50,000.

Where does training take place? In-house or from an external provider.

What types of businesses are covered by the Employer Training Grant? Six industries are featured:

  • Advanced Manufacturing
  • Building and Construction
  • Health Sciences
  • Information Technology and Business Services
  • Transportation and Logistics
  • Agriculture

Since its inception to 2017, nearly 600 applications have been received. More than $5.2 million in training funds have been obligated.

IUPUI Symposium Focus: Government and Economic Development

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State Governments’ Role in the Economic Development of Advanced Manufacturing and Small Business. It’s an interesting proposition and the title of a September 28 event hosted by the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law on the IUPUI campus.

The Program on Law and State Government Symposium includes addresses from two program fellows and a series of panel discussions. The focus is on how law and policy intersect with economic development strategies and identifying potential solutions for growing the employment base of the industrial Midwest.

Additional details and registration information are available.

Advancing the Manufacturing Cause

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We make things in Indiana — and America. So how are we going to excel at doing just that? The White House has some ideas. Or at least the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership steering committee does in the form of a report titled Capturing Domestic Competitive Advantage in Advanced Manufacturing.

AMP is a public-private partnership created by the Obama administration in 2011 with the goals of increasing investments in advanced manufacturing as well as new high-paying manufacturing jobs. The report offers 16 recommenations focused on three areas: enabling innovation, securing talent and improving the business climate.

Some of those recommendations:

  • Institute a national strategy that includes a systematic process to identify and prioritize critical cross-cutting technologies
  • Add a process to evaluate current/future technologies for research and development funding
  • Create a more robust environment for commercialization that connects manufacturers to university innovation
  • Develop a marketing plan to build excitement and interest in manufacturing careers
  • Implement a searchable national database of manufacturing resources
  • Increase community college level education investments to help develop a skilled workforce
  • Adopting tax reforms that level the playing field for domestic manufacturers, including lowering the corporate tax rate
  • Start new programs that include national manufacturing fellowships and internships

OK, there’s a plan with a lot of fancy words. Now the real work begins. It’s called IMPLEMENTATION.