Already, more than 150 Indiana businesses are involved in assessing this apprenticeship system, and seven pilot projects are engaging 450 students with more than 100 employers in advanced manufacturing, banking, health care and life sciences.
It’s hard to answer certain questions questions because the data about Indiana’s construction workforce need is limited and flawed.
With billions of dollars in projects in process or on drawing boards, it’s estimated that Indiana’s construction workforce alone will need to grow to 275,000 workers by 2026, up from about 164,000 now. We shouldn’t ignore half of our population as we seek to meet that need.
The Indiana Construction Roundtable provides training in community centers around the state, with the majority of our students seeking paths out of poverty. And while those students appreciate the training, the prison-class students show the greatest drive.
