Bartholomew County’s workforce development process is a model of success, said visiting business, education and government leaders.
“It’s incredible,” said Byron Ernest, a member of the Indiana State Board of Education, about the Economic Opportunities through Education (EcO) program, which works to bring employers and education partners together to work collaboratively.
Friday’s event at the Columbus Learning Center included a visit from Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, who said the state is trying to learn in a four-week workforce development tour around Indiana what Columbus has been doing for the past decade.
But whether the success achieved in Bartholomew County can be duplicated in other areas of the state remains to be seen, according to the ranking member of the Indiana Senate Education Committee.
“Obviously, (EcO) has been around for some time, and they’ve dealt with a lot of the kinks,” said State Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Centerville. “But the Columbus program has grown successfully organically, not from a legislative approach.”
However, another visiting lawmaker who also attended the forum believes there is much that can be learned and replicated from EcO, as well as other programs administered by the Columbus-based Community Education Coalition.
“We know that EcO is doing a lot of things right,” said State Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis. “This region of the state has figured out how to connect the dots in a way that others have not.”
Having so many state dignitaries in the public and private sectors travel to Columbus shows an increasing recognition that education and workforce sectors cannot operate in isolation from one another, said Jason Bearce, senior associate commissioner for the Indiana Commission of Higher Education.
“It’s really about bringing all those interests together, and focusing on common goals and objectives,” Bearce said.
Blair Milo, Indiana’s secretary of career connections and talent, said she found Bartholomew County’s teacher externship programs inspirational.
Externship programs allow teachers to experience what it’s like to work in manufacturing, so they can take their knowledge and experience back into the classroom, said Kathy Oren, Community Education Coalition executive director.
Those programs appear to create a positive energy that passes from educators into their students, Indiana Department of Workforce Development commissioner Fred Payne said.
“But mostly what I’ve heard here today is that good students get connected with good employers through good programs,” Payne said.
The work that has been done through the EcO network has been well-established throughout the state as best practice for several years, said Stephanie Wells, vice president of the Indiana Manufacturers Association.
With the statewide labor shortage expected to last for several years, it’s vital to empower communities and employer groups to come together at the table, Wells said.
“We need to make an employer-driven, consumer-driven workforce system that builds a talent pipeline and the necessary skills,” Wells said. “It’s the best way to give young people the opportunity to be successful and stay in their communities.”
