Skills2Compete Coalition Policy Priorities

• 21st Century Workforce Act - Nearly 90% of jobs in Indiana require digital skills - and this especially impacts the majority of jobs in Indiana that require more than a high school degree but not a college degree. A crucial component of ensuring that workers can access digital skill-building opportunities is creating capacity within the workforce development system, so that workers who have lost their jobs can access the digital skills they need to rejoin our workforce, and enter in-demand careers. Further, workers who are already on-the-job need to be equipped with upskilling opportunities to learn more digital skills and increase their earnings. The 21st Century Workforce Act would create formula funding and competitive grants for states and eligible institutions to develop digital skills training programs for workers who have lost their jobs, and for workers who are already on the job to further their career pathways, and for businesses to see more profit and success. | Our letters to Senator Young & Senator Braun requesting co-sponsorship

Coalition Policy Victories

Since its formation, the Indiana Skills2Compete Coalition has made several key policy accomplishments:

• HB 1160 – Workforce Development Pilot Programs: This bill enables state higher education institutions to establish pilot programs that provide navigators and barrier-busting funds to connect students to transportation, housing, and child care. It also establishes a pilot program to connect individuals with disabilities with manufacturing training opportunities and workforce supports.
• Senate Bill 330 Passed by a bipartisan majority in the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Mike Pence in March 2014, SB330 aims to improve services for Indiana’s adult post-secondary students and increases the proportion of funds set aside for the pursuit of high-wage, high-demand jobs. The bill also requires the state to report on Indiana’s part-time students, including the size, status, financial need and completion rates of this population, as well as recommendations for increasing completion by providing better financial support and student incentives.
  
  
• Senate Resolution 0085 Passed by voice vote in the Indiana Senate in 2011, SR005 codified the definition of ‘middle skill jobs’ and called on Indiana's State Workforce Investment Board, Division of Adult Education, and Office of Career and Technical Education to assess industry-recognized standards for middle-skill industry clusters to ensure that education and training programs meet these standards.
  
  
• House Bill 1314 and the ‘Counting Credentials Amendment’. Passed by the Indiana General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Mike Pence in May 2013, the bill will help Indiana create Cross-Agency Credential Measurement. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Workforce Development, in consultation with the Commission for Higher Education, the Department of Education, the Office of the Secretary of Family and Social Services, and any other agency the department determines to be necessary, to include information in the Indiana workforce intelligence system (IWIS) regarding middle-skill credentials awarded in the state. Requires public and private institutions of higher education, private occupational schools, community colleges, area vocational schools, high school vocational programs, apprenticeship programs, and other public or private workforce training programs to provide the information required for IWIS.