Cart“Research shows that nearly one million Hoosiers require some form of skills remediation or further education to remain competitive in today’s job market. That’s a sixth of our total population and nearly one-third of our workforce,” offers Indiana Chamber President Kevin Brinegar.
“The state’s current resources only allow for 25,000 of the one million in need to get assistance annually. That’s woefully low and simply not good enough. Finding a way to bridge this massive gap should be the top priority of our next governor.”
The dilemma affects workers and businesses alike. In July, Ready Indiana, the Indiana Chamber’s free online hub for information and programs to aid in workforce development, conducted a workforce skills survey of Hoosier employers. Nearly 80 percent (197) of the 250 respondents said that basic skills deficiencies have posed a significant (moderate to very severe) problem for Indiana industries across the board. Another 10 percent (24) labeled the deficiencies a minor problem.
Respondents also indicated their five most important basic skills for employees: teamwork (cited by 67 percent), reading/writing (66 percent), verbal communication (64 percent), critical thinking (64 percent) and technology/computer skills (47 percent).
In 2007, a proposal was offered to aid Hoosiers in furthering their education by using the proceeds from leasing the state lottery.
“There is no other single source that could generate the dollars that are available through the lottery. We have to look at the big picture and be sensible. Our workers need training and we have a means to make that happen,” Brinegar asserts.
The letter advocating the lease of the state lottery to fund workforce development efforts plus the accompanying video commentary can be found at www.indianachamber.com/letters. There, Hoosiers can also view the timeline and subjects for all of the letters, as well as take the opportunity to share their thoughts on the Chamber blog.
The series, called “Letters to Our Leaders,” continues through August 26, with one letter released weekly to the general public and the candidates on a key issue area that needs attention from state government. These messages are distributed on behalf of the Indiana Chamber’s 125 board members that represent 4,800 member companies employing 800,000 Hoosier workers.
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The Indiana Chamber of Commerce has been the state’s largest broad-based business advocacy organization for 86 years. The more than 4,800 member companies employ 800,000 Hoosier workers.
