The state’s business and education sectors continue to cooperate in an effort to bridge the so-called skills gap. Ivy Tech Corporate College President Matt Bell says the school is dedicated to training and certifying hundreds of production employees.

Fort Wayne Metals Director of Human Resources Dennis Rohrs says proper training is crucial, in obtaining a job in today’s workforce. At one point, his company was forced to go through 150 applications to hire one qualified worker. Fort Wayne Metals has added 200 workers over the past two years, and plans to add another 100 workers this year.

According to Rohrs, in many applicants, basic math and science skills, logic, and the ability to work on a team,”are just absent.” He says, “There are great jobs out there,” but students must be prepared.

Ivy Tech Corporate College and other schools are also addressing the issue by offering dual credit programs, which enable students to graduate high school with various amounts of training and certifications.

Sources: Fort Wayne Metals, Ivy Tech Corporate College, Inside INdiana Business