Spring 2012 - Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly Magazine

WorkforceDevelopmentGREEN ENERGY AND EduCATION Students from Purdue Calumet’s Center for Innovation throughVisualization and Simulation visit the GE Invenergy Wind Farm-Grand Ridge Energy Center in Ransom, Ill.Workforce 2025The economy is coming back to life. Is the region’sworkforce prepared to cash in on the opportunities?by Shari HeldWith the negative press theeconomy has generatedover the last few years,it’s easy to overlook the positivesNorthwest Indiana has to offer – theDunes, the casinos, the steel mills, agreat road and rail infrastructure andpower sources.“Northwest Indiana has some ofthe greatest assets in the Midwest,and I’m going to argue, some of thebest in the nation,” says Don Babcock,director of economic developmentfor NIPSCO. “Years ago wehad a strong economy and our economyis coming back now because ofthose assets. As the region becomesstronger, the opportunities for greatpaying jobs will be on the rise.”The big question is: Will the workforcebe prepared and ready to meetthe needs of a rebounding economy?A report on hiring in NorthwestIndiana by The Center of WorkforceInnovations projects nearly 27,000job openings in the next five years.The biggest concentration will be inhealth care and transportation, distributionand logistics followed bymanufacturing and construction andthe trades. Many of these jobs willrequire special skills, and that presentsa problem.“Even with the serious unemploymentwe have, throughout the stateand the country, there are a numberof jobs now that are staying open fartoo long because employers can’tfind workers with the right skills,”says Michael Baird, a Valparaiso citycouncilman.To ensure workforce developmentis ready to meet the demands of thefuture, Northwest Indiana educators,employers, economic developersand local politicians banded togetherto form the Regional Education andEmployer Alliance for DevelopingYouth (RE2ADY) about three yearsago. Its focus is to implement programsthat will not only preparestudents academically, but alsoteach them the soft skills needed for46 NORTHWEST INDIANA BUSINESS QUARTERLY SpRINg–SUmmER 2012