A national nonprofit has chosen Indiana as the next state for its Skillful initiative, designed to help workers, especially those without four-year college degrees, find good jobs in a changing economy. The New York-based Markle Foundation is working with partners including Microsoft Philanthropies, Walmart and Purdue University on the workforce development effort. Skillful, which began in Colorado, helps workers partner with companies to identify skills they already have and find better pathways to internal or external training programs to fill the gaps.
Other partners in the effort include the Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation, LinkedIn, Purdue Extension and the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet. Governor Eric Holcomb calls Skillful coming to Indiana a “game-changer.” He says Skillful will be a “force multiplier – strengthening and building upon workforce efforts already underway to connect people with the skills they need for high-wage, high-demand jobs.”
Skillful says it uses data and technology platforms to analyze and provide transparency about the the value of educational and training programs. The goal is to give educators a better picture of what skills area employers need, and giving those businesses a better idea of what skills are present in the local talent pool.
