Some Hoosiers have barriers to employment. They need to gain or upgrade their skills or get a certification or credential so that they can get a job or prepare for one. WorkOnes have special programs designed to assist Hoosiers. There are programs for youth, veterans, senior citizens, migrants, adult education learners, ex-offenders, educators and employers. Every Hoosier can benefit from the Department of Workforce Development’s services.

DWD administers various grants such as the Workforce Ready Grant and Employer Training Grant through NextLevel Jobs, and also offers free training resources that enable Hoosiers to enhance their skills through either in-person training experiences or online training courses. These programs and others give the state’s workforce the opportunity to skill up!

OCTS (Office for Career and Technical Schools) is the administrative arm of the DWD responsible for regulating non-credit bearing, non-degree granting postsecondary proprietary schools. Learn more here!

Hiring and retaining talent based on skills

Markle’s Rework America initiative seeks to transform America’s outdated labor market so that all Americans have opportunities to thrive in the digital economy. The Rework America Alliance is working with leading employers and advocacy and civic organizations to help displaced workers, particularly those of color, move into quality, in-demand jobs as the economy rebounds so that we can create a more equitable recovery. Empowering employers to increase diversity, improve hiring, and establish an economy that works for all. Employer toolkit: https://www.markle.org/employer-toolkit/

Indiana Career Connect (ICC) is DWD’s case management system used by career counselors to help connect their customers to employment opportunities. ICC also is where Hoosiers go digitally to find jobs. Every Hoosier that files for unemployment assistance uses ICC to aid them in their career search.

The Indiana Construction Roundtable Foundation is designed to address the shortage facing the construction industry. The program’s main goal is to access and empower individuals to pursue a career in construction that will lead to more sustainable workforce.

Employer Training Grant
William J. Ciriello Plumbing Co. Inc.

Ciriello Plumbing prefers to hire and train its own plumbers instead of bringing aboard those already licensed. So it has used the Employer Training Grant to help grow the company during the skilled labor shortage.

Ciriello Plumbing has trained three apprentices and has plans to use it for two more. Plumbing apprentices attend school one night a week for four years to become licensed.

The Employer Training Grant reimburses companies for employee training costs by providing $5,000 per employee up to $50,000 for training costs.

Jeffrey Tabb

Jeffrey Tabb spent 14 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving his country both home and abroad part of that time as a combat infantryman.

But he fell on hard times after he chose to quit his hotel security job to pursue a dream of helping veterans through a podcast he had hoped to develop. Tabb also launched a project to promote physical wellness to veterans through boxing lessons. He eventually found himself homeless after neither venture panned out.

Tabb, after approaching a friend for help with the not-for-profit American Veteran Services Corp., was referred a WorkOne center. Through programs aimed at helping veterans, Tabb landed a job at the Franklin WorkOne as a Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program specialist.