Thanks to GOP Governor Eric Holcomb’s determined focus on job creation, Indiana is pushing the limits for economic expansion with low unemployment, expanded opportunity, and record-breaking development. And with Governor Holcomb pushing the new “Next Level Jobs” campaign, he’s working to build even further on the Indiana’s success by empowering its next generation of job-seekers. This new program will focus on giving young, working-age Hoosiers the tools “to fill the high-wage jobs available right now in every part of the state.”
Governor Holcomb in the Journal & Courier: Next Level Jobs is a smart investment in economy
Indiana’s on a roll. We’re on a record-setting pace for winning new economic development projects in 2017. Homegrown companies are thriving, and we’re supporting a growing, diversified economy with new initiatives like the Next Level Indiana Trust Fund.
Unemployment is low, and corporate confidence is high. Indiana is routinely lauded for its pro-growth business climate, world-class infrastructure, appealing quality of life and affordable cost of living.
But, there is a caveat that chills this economic hot streak. Employers can’t keep growing if they can’t hire people with the right skills, and we need more Hoosier workers with the skills to secure better opportunities in our job market.
That’s why we introduced “Next Level Jobs,” a campaign that targets working-age Hoosiers and Indiana employers with the goal of skilling up our workforce to fill the high-wage jobs available right now in every part of the state.
With funding from Workforce Ready Grants approved by the General Assembly this year, we’re saying to Hoosiers who haven’t yet earned a degree or certificate beyond high school: If you’re willing to learn the skills that our employers need most, we’ll pay for your training. For businesses, we’re offering Employer Training Grants that will provide $2,500 per new employee that companies hire, train and keep for at least six months.