Catching up: plans, programs and participation

On December 19^th, various groups gathered in Ivy tech Community College in Gary, Indiana, to honor new graduates of apprenticeship and training programs coordinated under the Indiana Plan. The Indiana Plan provides minorities, women and dislocated workers with the training they will require to get qualified for skilled trades in that state.

63 people were honoured, all of them having completed essential training and found roles in apprenticeships or full time work with state companies. Senator Earlien Rogers (D-Gary) said, “We said all along it [The Indiana Plan] wasn’t about jobs. It’s about careers. We’re going a long way to make this a better place to live and work.”

“The renewed interest of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development and Sen. Rogers’ involvement has breathed new life into the Indiana Plan at a crucial time for Northwest Indiana,” added Joree Richards, the Gary area coordinator of the Indiana Plan.

Classroom curriculum of the Indiana Plan includes mathematics, safety instruction and career planning. Participants learn fundamental skills that will help them secure long term employment in the Indiana construction industry.

Meanwhile in Newark, NJ, the Career Launch Program, sponsored by the Boys & Girls Clubs is grooming future workers of America. Since March 2006, the program has been preparing young people with two distinct components: Explorers helps students in fourth through tenth grade and Job Ready is set up for high school juniors and seniors, preparing them in advance for college, trade school or for a jump right into the workforce. Six seniors from Trenton High School have taken part in the pilot program and have enrolled in college. There are ten graduates for 2007 and all are attending college or trade school.

You can learn more about this at www.bgctrenton.org.