The National Governor’s Association Center for Best Practices recently announced the selection of Indiana as one of 14 states named to participate in its policy academy aimed at aligning education and workforce training systems to meet state’s economic needs. 

As a designated recipient, Indiana will receive grants and opportunities from the NGA to further learn from state colleagues and national experts, as well as technical assistance from the NGA Center for Best Practices. 

“We were the first state in the country to create a specific agency to jointly coordinate our education and workforce efforts a year ago, and the interest from other states has been high in understanding our models and initial work plans,” said Governor Mike Pence. “I’m grateful to the General Assembly for helping to set our course with the Career Council and Regional Work Councils, and for the many hundreds of Hoosier educators, business leaders, and career and technical education and workforce professionals who have collaborated in our efforts to improve Indiana’s overall results.”

The policy academies are designed to assist states in:

• Articulating and implementing a strong vision connecting the education and training systems with the needs of the economy;
• Integrating and utilizing education and workforce data to inform policy, track progress and measure success;
• Encouraging industry and education partnerships; and
• Modifying the use of resources and incentives to support attainment of the integrated vision.

Leaders from the Center for Education and Career Innovation have provided input at multiple NGA meeting sessions throughout the past year, including moderating panels, providing testimony, and discussing leadership opportunities and challenges on issues such as academic standards, aligning workforce and training efforts, and regional planning to encourage successful collaborations. 

Working in conjunction with multiple state agencies, CECI has facilitated the state’s 11 Regional Works Councils with the engagement of more than 160 community leaders. In addition, the Career Council has already released its strategic plan following nearly a year of gathering inputs; more than $3.6 million in grants have been awarded for innovative career and technical education curriculums; and a statewide study of CTE return on investments is just getting underway.