Indiana needs to retrain 82k+ workers annually to meet demand, Ivy Tech finds

Yahoo

07-04-2025

Sara Spears, a 2019 graduate of Ivy Tech, is pictured in 2022 while working as a plumbing apprentice and member of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 392. (Courtesy Ivy Tech Community College)
Indiana must retrain more than 82,000 working Hoosiers annually — with non-degree credentials — to meet workforce demand, Ivy Tech Community College has found.
And about 70% of job openings across four in-demand industries will require that additional training, according to the white paper, released Thursday. Non-degree credentials are industry-recognized certifications, certificates, licenses and other short-term training programs.
Ivy Tech is the nation's largest single-accredited statewide community college system. Its analysis was conducted in collaboration with TEConomy Partners and funded by the Lilly Endowment.
'As Indiana's workforce engine, Ivy Tech is committed to providing the high-quality, industry-aligned education and training that our state and employers need to drive economic growth and prosperity,' President Sue Ellspermann said in a news release.
'This research underscores the urgent need to help Hoosiers acquire new or specialized skills as technologies such as automation and artificial intelligence continue to transform our workforce and economy,' she added.
Indiana, like the rest of the country, faces a workforce crisis, per the report. The state's industry productivity is 'too low,' there aren't enough skilled workers to staff growing industries and the working-age population is shrinking.
'Indiana needs to improve productivity with the workforce it already has,' the report continues. 'Employers can no longer rely on a passive approach, waiting for talent to arrive fully skilled.'
It estimated demand in four industry sectors key to Indiana's economy:
Advanced Manufacturing: An estimated 18,300 annual positions will require credentials, including roles such as technicians, machinists, maintenance roles, and programmers.
Transportation and Logistics: Demand for 24,000 positions annually, including truck drivers, mechanics, and technicians, with a growing need for workers skilled in digital logistics and supply chain technologies.
Health care: Approximately 38,700 annual openings will require credentials, with high demand for nurses, medical assistants, and healthcare technicians.
Information Technology: Demand for 1,300 tech professionals, including software developers, systems analysts, and cybersecurity specialists, in sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics. The report notes forecasting may be limited by employment system data and rapid industry changes.
'Workforce is the economic driver,' Indiana Secretary of Commerce David Adams said in the news release. 'Our ability to develop, recruit and retain talent here in Indiana is critically important, and that's why Gov. (Mike) Braun and I are so focused on supporting the upskilling and reskilling of our incumbent Hoosier workforce. These research findings underscore the fundamental paradigm shift employers are going to have to wrap their arms around as they continue building a workforce that will strengthen the Hoosier economy.'
In the report, Ivy Tech said it's positioned as the 'leading partner' to provide the skills training required to meet the demand. Currently, it enrolls more than 25,000 people annually in skills training and other workforce development programs — about 15% of its total enrollment.
Ivy Tech leadership will prioritize skills training delivery and scaling up related program offerings — but 'cannot do this alone,' per the report.
'A collective state effort is required,' it says.
Employers should provide tuition and funding support, give data and feedback to training providers and tell their employees about training opportunities.
State government, industry associations, and economic or workforce development groups should promote training program funding and policies; enable data infrastructure and reporting capabilities; and convene others to boost partnerships, develop common curricula and more.
Postsecondary institutions — along with career, technical and vocational providers — should invest in course offerings, inform skills trainees about enrollment in occupational pathways, raise awareness that completed coursework can convert to credits for academic programs of study, and so on.
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