INDIANAPOLIS— Ivy Tech Community College has been nominated for recognition by the Great Lakes Manufacturing Council as a benchmark for its Talented Workforce Initiative.  The college will be recognized on June 12 in Detroit at The Big M event celebrating the resurgence of manufacturing.  Thirty programs have been nominated but only four will be presented with top awards.

Two Ivy Tech programs have been nominated, including the Ivy Institute of Technology for Machine Tool Technology at the college’s South Bend campus, as well as the Advanced Manufacturing training program through Ivy Tech Corporate College at the college’s Lafayette campus.

The Council created its Talented Workforce Initiative to identify the most imaginative and effective solutions for building the region’s pool of manufacturing talent.  The goal of the Council’s far-ranging outreach is to share the best ideas and approaches for resolving a critical workforce shortage issue that threatens nearly all manufacturers and communities in the bi-national Great Lakes economy.

The 30 Great Lakes nominations included programs in cities in seven states and two provinces, as well as four US and Canadian national programs.  Characteristics of the successful and promising initiatives included their ability to: recruit or attract talented workers, train or educate new workers, retrain incumbent workers, and retrain displaced workers.

Skills shortages are one of the primary challenges facing many manufacturers.  Manufacturing is the cornerstone of the Great Lakes economy and is intrinsic to its success.  Manufacturing makes the Great Lakes trading area home to the world’s fourth largest economy, with a combined annual output of nearly $6 trillion.

The Council has also been supporting the widespread adoption of the Manufacturing Skill Standards Certification process, designed to lead to a higher-skilled, more productive workforce.

The Great Lakes Manufacturing Council is a bi-national organization dedicated to the success of manufacturing in the Great Lakes region.  Membership to the Council is open to all who share that goal.  The Council covers the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, and the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota.  It is organized as a 501c3 non-profit and includes manufacturing organizations, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, government agencies, colleges and universities.

Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s largest public postsecondary institution and the nation’s largest singly accredited statewide community college system serving nearly 200,000 students annually.  Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana. It serves as the state’s engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.