It’s no secret Indiana is dealing with daunting workforce challenges. Not only are employers having a difficult time filling openings, the state ranks 37th in population with at least an associate degree or high quality credential (48.3%) and 35th in first-time postsecondary enrollments (4.27%).
To combat this, our Institute of Workforce Excellence (IWE) launched a first of its kind online workforce center this week with live customer service to help Hoosier employers and individuals better identify and access in one place the vast number of educational and training programs and supports available across the state.
The Talent Resource Navigator is a web-based tool that facilitates person-to-provider introductions and enables state agencies, educational institutions and other nonprofit community partners to manage and update their own offerings on the site. The Navigator is managed by the Indiana Chamber’s charitable nonprofit, the Institute for Workforce Excellence, which is dedicated to helping employers attract, develop and retain high-skilled, productive talent in Indiana.
Designed to provide timely and relevant career development information, the Navigator is available at no cost. Individuals and employers can deepen engagement with the Navigator by setting up free accounts to obtain personal technical assistance and customer support from the Navigator support team.
Examples of those engaged through the Navigator with employers and individuals include community and technology partners, higher education institutions and Indiana state agency representatives.
In addition to the “hundreds and hundreds” of opportunities for professional growth that are listed on the site, it features information on in-demand skills and the credentials needed for available jobs and emerging careers.
A $2.5 million Lilly Endowment Inc. grant to the Institute for Workforce Excellence enabled the creation of the Navigator and the ongoing curation of the online information. The site is available in Spanish and the IWE plans to offer additional language options in the future.
“Maintaining a 21st Century skilled and ready workforce requires maximizing the full array of our state’s many public and private training offerings,” says Governor Eric Holcomb. “The new Talent Resource Navigator will serve as another important tool to connect employers, nonprofits and individuals with opportunities across the state, many of which are free, like Indiana’s Next Level Jobs. Workforce is an all-hands-on-deck effort, and I applaud the Indiana Chamber and Lilly Endowment for their efforts.”
One feature of the Navigator exclusively for employers is the Talent Pipeline Assessment, which evaluates and benchmarks their current talent development strategies against recognized best practices. Once an employer’s self-assessment is completed, the Navigator will suggest aligned resources based on those results and notify the employer when new resources are added.
Starting later this week, the Indiana Chamber will host webinars for users to learn the ins and outs of the Navigator. Soon thereafter, the Institute team also will be bringing the tool to regional partners and events.
Access information on the Talent Resource Navigator at http://www.talentresourcenavigator.com.
Resource: Jason Bearce at (317) 264-6880 or email: jbearce@indianachamber.com
