Indiana Workforce Region/Local Area Realignment

Pursuant to Indiana Executive Order 25-45 and in accordance with the regional identification and local area designation requirements outlined in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). This effort supports Governor Braun’s confirmation of the READI 2.0 economic development regions as Indiana’s statewide framework for strategic economic planning. Aligning workforce development regions with economic development regions is not only required by federal law and Executive Order 25-45, but it also strengthens our ability to serve communities effectively. Economic and workforce development are deeply interconnected – economic development is workforce development. When these areas are aligned, regions gain new opportunities to collaborate on growth initiatives, pursue funding, and leverage more complete and accurate data to guide economic and workforce strategies.

After a robust period of stakeholder engagement, including individual consultations with designated regional chief elected officials and local workforce board chairs, discussions with regional executive directors, and extensive public feedback and careful analysis of multiple map options, we are pleased to announce Indiana’s finalized workforce development regional structure. Confirmed by Governor Braun and Secretary Goodrich, the updated model reflects a familiar 12-area structure derived from collaboration with regional leaders, elected officials, local workforce development boards, employers, community partners, and other stakeholders across the state. The final map honors the full range of feedback received, including engagement with the Indiana Workforce Alliance (IWA), who supported maintaining a familiar model with only minimal county adjustments.