Training geared to meet employers' needs

By Steve Hinnefeld, Herald-Times Staff Writer

Organizers of the South Central Indiana Corporate Training Partnership say the new organization will provide training that's suited to employers' needs, convenient and - best of all - affordable.

And they say a better-trained work force will help create a more productive regional economy.

"Work force development drives economic development," said Ryan Bass, corporate training coordinator for Ivy Tech Community College in Bloomington.

Officials launched the job-training consortium Wednesday with a luncheon meeting at the Ivy Tech campus. So far, it has 20 members - Ivy Tech, which will provide training and classes, and 19 employers.

About 130 people were at the launch, including partnership members and other employers that wanted to find out more.

The idea is for businesses, local government and not-for-profit organizations to work together to meet the need for employee training, from executive leadership courses for vice presidents to computer and customer skills classes for front-line workers. So far, the partnership has developed 80 courses, and more can be designed to meet the demands of businesses, officials said.

Bass said corporate training took a hit from the weak economy and the business cutbacks that resulted from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"It was the first thing to go," he said. "This was a response to that - the companies didn't have training dollars."

In fact, the idea for the partnership grew out of conversations last spring with Brent Atwater, director of learning and development for InterArt, which laid off almost 20 percent of its employees last fall because of a softening market for the greeting cards it distributes.

Bass said teaming for job training will especially benefit midsized and small employers that can't afford to hire training staff or send employees to out-of-town conferences and seminars. He envisions the consortium's membership doubling or tripling as employers learn about the organization.

Steve Howard, president of the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, said most of the initial members - including InterArt, Tasus, Carlisle, Baxter Pharmaceutical Solutions and PTS Electronics - are big by Bloomington standards. The challenges of paying for training are even more significant, he said, for the 77 percent of chamber members with 25 or fewer employees.

"Most of them don't have any time, and they certainly don't have any training people or very much money," Howard said, encouraging the partnership to reach out to mom-and-pop businesses.

Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan said one of his goals is to help constituents achieve their potential. For businesses, he said, that can mean earning bigger profits. For individuals, it can mean getting a better job and breaking out of a cycle of poverty and underemployment.

"This is the kind of strategy that can break that cycle - not a bad accomplishment," he said.

Doris Sims, director of the Indiana Department of Commerce Region 10 office in Bloomington, said the partnership complements training programs provided by the commerce department and the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.

"A well-trained work force is the key to any company's ability to compete," she said.

Partnership members

Members of the South Central Indiana Corporate Training Partnership:

Ivy Tech Community College, InterArt, Otis Elevator, Tree of Life/Gourmet Award Foods Midwest, Monroe Bank, Old National Bank, Boston Scientific, Printpack, Tasus, Visteon, Stone Belt Arc, IU Credit Union, Sabin, Carlisle, Baxter Pharmaceutical Solutions, Pliant, Heitink Veneers, Mirwec Film, PTS Electronics, City of Bloomington.

Reporter Steve Hinnefeld can be reached at 331-4374 or by e-mail at shinnefeld@heraldt.com.