Pence establishes education center

The Center for Education and Career Innovation was established Aug. 23 when Gov. Mike Pence signed an executive order for the center’s creation.

Pence announced the CECI is meant to improve communication and collaboration between schools and the workforce to create a better education for Hoosiers and to better prepare them for careers.

“Indiana has made great strides in the last eight years when it comes to improving education and workforce development opportunities for Hoosiers, but with unemployment stubbornly staying above eight percent, there is still work to be done,” Pence said in a press release.

“The Center for Education and Career Innovation will strive to improve coordination between pertinent agency partners and industry voices to ensure a world-class education for students and to better prepare adults to be successful in their chosen career pathway that also meets industry demands.”

Kara Brooks, press secretary for Pence, said the CECI affects all levels of schooling in Indiana.

“The CECI is unique in that it addresses the entire spectrum of education and career preparation from kindergarten through retirement,” Brooks said.

Brooks noted the strength of the Center as an aggregator for other players hoping to improve education in Indiana.

“Indiana currently has tremendous partners within state government and industry who are committed to improving education and training outcomes for the current and emerging workforce through goals specific to their own entity,” she said.

“The CECI will serve as the pipeline, aligning these partners, programs, resources and will focus on the goal of better preparing students and adult workers for career success.”

Jaclyn Dowd, special assistant for Career Innovation, and Claire Fiddian-Green, special assistant for Education Innovation, will lead the agency.

“They will oversee a staff of 16, which includes four existing staff and 12 additional staff that will be hired to support the work of all agencies within the CECI,” Brooks said.

The annual budget of the CECI will be $4.3 million, which Brooks said has been appropriated by the Indiana General Assembly.

Brooks also said the timeline for the implementation of the center is unclear as of now.
“Much of what is required by the organization and the entities operating within it — the Indiana Career Council, the Indiana Works Councils, the Education Roundtable and the State Board of Education — are driven by statute,” she said.

Brooks added that the center will strive to become functional quickly.

“The CECI is committed to fulfilling the statutory obligations set forth by the Indiana General Assembly and will collaborate with partner agencies to meet such requirements,” she said.

In the past, Republican senators in Indiana have focused on keeping a tight budget and have drawn some criticism from teachers and education proponents for sacrificing education funding. However, Brooks said Pence is committed to education in the long term for Hoosiers.

“Governor Pence considers education and workforce development to be of the highest importance to his administration,” she said. “He will continue to strive to ensure a world-class education for students and to better prepare adults for new careers in the years ahead.”