Workforce Training

The Starke County Economic Development Foundation established the Starke County Initiative for Lifelong Learning (SCILL) to spearhead local workforce development. This ensures the training offered meets the needs and expectations of Starke County industry. Through its many partnerships, SCILL is able to develop customized training programs to meet these perceived needs.

The State of Indiana assists in workforce development primarily through the Skills Enhancement Fund (SEF), which is a renewable grant to support the cost of training a company's employees.

The Foundation also partners from time to time with local and area organizations to provide needed training, including:

• The Center of Workforce Innovations
• Purdue University – Manufacturing Extension Partnership Center
• Marian University's Ancilla College
• Ivy Tech Community College
• WorkOne

Work Keys

WorkKeys is administered in Indiana by the Department of Workforce Development. WorkKeys is a tool which determines the skills necessary to perform a function in the job place; evaluates a potential employee for those skills; and if the skills are lacking, provides the training for the employee to perform that function. Through the State of Indiana, companies may be eligible for WorkKeys evaluation for a maximum of five different positions at no cost. Additional assessments may be contracted.

Commuting Patterns

Starke County exports more labor than it imports. As a result of lost time on the road and the higher cost of driving, most of those Starke County residents employed outside the County are seeking in-County employment. The commuting patterns are provided by Hoosiers by the Numbers, maintained by the Research and Analysis division of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development and by STATS Indiana, which is maintained by The Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.