Indiana@Work plans to aid unemployed in job hunt

Community organizations battling Bloomington's unemployment issues received a much-needed boost two weeks ago. \nIn his State of the State address, Gov. Joe Kernan announced the creation of the Indiana@Work initiative as part of his commitment to jumpstart Indiana's economy. The plan provides further funding to help local agencies seek out employment and provide training for unemployed or under-employed citizens.\n"Unemployment is a problem everywhere," said Susan Stein, a supervisor for South Central Indiana WorkOne center. "There are groups in the community who are very forward-thinking and are working on the problem."\nWorkOne is a combination of several different programs which help unemployed workers identify and train for better jobs in vocations ranging from advanced manufacturing to information technology, said Richard Rampley, program director for the South Central Indiana WorkOne center. The organization will also be the chief venue for application of the new Indiana@Work funds.\nThe program has already enjoyed success in South Bend, Evansville and Lafayette, and should bolster Bloomington's economy, as well, Rampley said.\n"It's an excellent message for moving the workforce ahead and helping businesses identify their needs," Rampley said. "So, many times, individual workers cannot identify what skills they have for a particular job. And we've seen this layoff after layoff."\nIn addition to combating existing unemployment, Indiana@Work will attempt a proactive approach to the problem. The South Bend office works with local high schools to seek out jobs for non-college bound graduates, Rampley said. \nEven employed workers can look to the program to help optimize their performance, Rampley added.\n"I think it can help any business that wants to better identify their workers' skills, which should allow them to be more productive," Rampley said. "It helps the workers, too, because they know what skills they have. Then they can be that much more competitive in getting their first job."\nEldon Hojem is the county coordinator for South Central Workforce Development, a sister organization of WorkOne concentrating on job training. Hojem said additional funding could make a large impact.\n"One of the things I would like to see, is if they could produce more short-term schools that could put people back in the workforce quicker," he said. "That would be extremely beneficial."\nSince WorkOne has relied on state funding for about 35 years, it is a free service available to all citizens. Hojem said he hopes Indiana@Work will help create more jobs for WorkOne to fill.\nIndiana@Work requires no legislative approval because it is an administrative action, so WorkOne agencies statewide can expect to see funding immediately.\nKernan will draw the $10 million in funding from the existing state budget for the Department of Commerce's Skills Enhancement Fund, Rampley said.\n"Our goal is to give every Hoosier the opportunity to get a job or get training for a better job," Kernan said in a statement.\nMore information on Indiana@Work can be found at http://www.in.gov/gov/pdfs/Indiana@Work_1-12-04.pdf.