Fishers site trains 
workers for information technology jobs

Volume 22, Number 13, November 12, 2001 of Campus Update

FISHERS, Ind. – Displaced workers in central Indiana will be trained for well-paying jobs in information technology with help from Ball State University and Hamilton County WorkOne.

A federally funded training site at 10022 Lantern Road in Fishers officially opened November 7 with a mission to provide more skilled workers for Indiana's growing IT industry.

The site is a partnership linking Ball State's Center for Organizational Resources (COR) and the new Hamilton County WorkOne office in Fishers.

WorkOne offers career development and placement services such as resume development, Internet access, personal assessment and job search training. Personal computers, reference materials, fax machines and telephones also are available for job seekers.

"The challenge for employers is to retain a committed workforce, especially in the information technology industry," said Stephanie Huffman, assistant director of COR in Ball State's School of Continuing Education and Public Service.

"Technology has become the focus of economic development for higher-wage jobs both nationally and globally, and we will play a major role in helping Indiana address the critical need for skilled information technology workers," Huffman said.

Ball State recently received more than $1.1 million in federal grants to offer information technology training programs for 300 eligible dislocated workers in the Indianapolis area and Muncie during the next two years.

Funds include $927,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor and $231,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

IT training programs in Fishers and Muncie will target white- and blue-collar workers in central Indiana who qualify for services under the federal dislocated worker program.

Sites in Hamilton County and Delaware County were chosen for the training because of their proximity to the displaced worker population and potential job markets.

The Fishers site is endorsed by the Interlocal Association, Circle-7 Workforce Investment Board, Indiana Department of Workforce Development, Ivy Tech State College, Fishers Chamber of Commerce and Fishers Town Council.

Jeff Williams, chairman of the Circle-7 Workforce Investment Board, commented, "The WorkOne-Ball State University information technology training program for dislocated workers is an outstanding example of how the board implements its mission of connecting workforce needs with available resources to improve the regional economy."

The training will support the state's economic development efforts as Indiana faces increasing numbers of workers displaced from an aging, traditional manufacturing economy.

"This important partnership will leverage state and federal resources to assist a vital industry," said Craig Hartzer, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. "The certifications available through this program will prepare workers for the future demands of the new economy."

Information technology training will give displaced workers national IT certifications and Ball State certificates in computer hardware and software skills.

Other classes will enhance participants' overall employment skills, allowing them to reenter the workforce at wage rates comparable to their previous earnings. Those skills include listening, team building, problem solving and leadership.

Ball State professors David Hua, industry and technology, and Daniel Jones, business and information technology, are the primary course designers and instructors.

"We are committed to providing information technology training sites in Muncie and Fishers in order to create a bridge between Indiana's dislocated worker population and the growing number of IT-related positions," said Blaine A. Brownell, president of Ball State.

The information technology training supports Ball State's 2001-2006 Strategic Plan, whose sixth goal focuses on expanding relationships beyond the campus through economic development efforts, community programs and entrepreneurial partnerships.

COR serves more than 7,500 individuals and organizations each year by using its staff, Ball State faculty members and a statewide network of professionals to provide workforce development programs and services.

Tech training center adds skills
to out-of-work workers

By Johanna Tran, December 3, 2001 from the Daily Ledger

FISHERS -- Rob Licht came to work one day and found himself unemployed without warning.

Licht had been working in technical support at Communications and Commerce, an Internet service provider in Indianapolis. Licht learned that day that all technical support jobs would relocate to the company's home base in Salt Lake City.

In spite of the shock of losing his job, the Carmel man said he knew he had to move on right away. He decided to use a new Fishers Information Technology Training site.

"Through a family friend, I found out about the training," Licht said. "I started preparing for the future."

The Information Technology Training program, located with Hamilton County's WorkOne office at 10022 Lantern Road, provides an array of

opportunities for displaced workers.

The federally funded program offers opportunities for displaced workers to learn more about and become certified in a number of computer programs.

Lance Ratliff, executive director for Circle-7 Workforce Investment Board, said a displaced worker is a person that is unemployed because of general layoffs, downsizing, mergers and other corporate decisions.

The Fishers program emerged from a partnership with Ball State University's Center for Organizational Resources in the School of Continuing Education and Public Service and Hamilton County's WorkOne career development and placement services. The Circle-7 Workforce Investment Board oversees all the administrative operations.

Earlier this year, Ball State received more than $1.1 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide information technology to Indianapolis.

Stephanie Huffman, assistant director at Ball State's Center for Organizational Resources, said Fishers' growing population and its demand for information technology were the two primary reasons for locating the site here.

"We chose Fishers because of demographics, as the largest growing town within a five-county region," Huffman said.

The center is open to the public for career development. But classes involving any form of tuition are open only to displaced workers.

Former training student Licht said the program was beneficial because his computer certification earned at the center helped him get a contract position in technical support at Eli Lilly and Co. in Indianapolis.

"It helps to better our skills," Licht said. "It'll help us be the wave of the future."

WorkOne and BSU has a new partnership

By Tim Evans    January 24, 2002 in the Indianapolis Star

AVON, Ind. -- A new partnership between Ball State University and WorkOne Hendricks County offers free computer training to victims of layoffs and closings.

While Hendricks County has had one of the state's lowest unemployment rates in recent years, a significant jump in the number of people out of work prompted formation of the grant-funded training program, said David Taylor, a WorkOne career counselor.

Taylor said Hendricks County had the state's second-lowest unemployment rate -- about 1.5 percent -- in November 2000, but that figure jumped to 2.9 percent in November 2001. While the figure is still low by many standards, Taylor said, it translates to about 1,500 people out of work.

The first session -- focusing on basic computer skills -- began last week in a mobile computer lab set up at the WorkOne Express office in Avon.

Taylor said the class is full and there is a waiting list of 18 for the next sessions.

Classes cover computer skills using the popular Microsoft Office software platforms of Word and Excel. Participants who successfully complete the training are certified as a Microsoft Office User Specialist.

Advanced level training is also offered for A+ and other specialized information technology certifications.

Similar training has been offered since July at WorkOne Express offices in Fishers, Franklin and Greenfield.

"We are seeing a cross-section of people from all types of business and industry," Taylor said of people inquiring about the training in Hendricks County.

He added that the group includes a number of people laid off from jobs at Indianapolis International Airport in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The training is funded through a U.S. Department of Labor grant to the Interlocal Association/Circle 7 Training Council and Ball State University.

The Interlocal Association is a nonprofit agency that provides employment and training assistance in conjunction with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, which operates the WorkOne offices.

Stephanie Huffman, program director for Ball State's IT Training Initiative, said the new program is aimed at addressing two goals: upgrading the computer skills of dislocated workers so they can reenter the workforce, and boosting the overall technological skills of Hoosier workers.

She said the second aspect dovetails with a state and Ball State goal to boost economic development by making Indiana a center for high-tech industry.

For more information about the training programs and other services offered through WorkOne, call 1-317-272-2174.

Displaced workers 
gain new jobs in 
information technology

Volume 22, Number 38, July 22, 2002 of Campus Update

MUNCIE, Ind. – Information technology training provided by Ball State and Hamilton County WorkOne in Fishers is helping hundreds of unemployed Hoosiers get back to work.

One of them is Diane Quear of Cicero, who recently lost her technical support job when her employer moved out of the state. After completing A+ and Network+ certifications through the Ball State/WorkOne program, she landed a job at Baker Hill in Carmel, which deals in computer software for financial lenders.

Today Quear handles client technical support at the company, earning a little more pay than her previous job plus good benefits and opportunities for advancement.

"A big reason they hired me was because of those certifications," she said. "It made me much more attractive to my employer. I gained a lot of knowledge that will benefit the company and me as I move up the ranks."

Ball State's Center for Organizational Resources (COR) and the new Hamilton County WorkOne office in Fishers are using more than $1.1 million in federal grants to train displaced workers in central Indiana for well-paying jobs in the state's growing information technology industry.

Since opening a year ago, the Fishers IT training site at 10022 Lantern Road has trained more than 400 people.

Nearly 200 participants have received Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS) certifications in Word or Excel, about 25 have become A+ certified and nine have become Network+ certified.

"For the state, it's a nice economic development partnership," said Stephanie Huffman, assistant director of COR in Ball State's School of Continuing Education and Public Service. "We're leveraging state and federal resources."

The two-year training program is providing more skilled workers for Indiana's IT industry, supporting the state's economic development efforts as increasing numbers of workers are displaced from the traditional manufacturing economy.

The training assists white- and blue-collar workers in the Indianapolis area who qualify for services under the federal dislocated worker program.

Classes prepare workers for the new demands of the job market and enhance their overall employment skills so they can reenter the workforce at competitive wages.

"I was impressed with the quality of the classes and instructors," Quear said. "They were definitely top grade. I knew clearly the value of what was being offered to me."

The IT program and its staff also helped to change her attitude from discouragement to new hope.

"They took me under their wing and let me know what was available," she said. "It was my family for a while, and they encouraged me. It was a lifesaver."

Terry Ambler of Greenwood also lost her job when her employer went out of business. She was a veteran WordPerfect expert who suddenly found herself in a job market that required additional computer skills.

"I was in a Microsoft world with WordPerfect skills," Ambler said. "You have to be up-to-date on your software skills to find a good-paying job as an administrative assistant for top-level management. People look to that position as a help desk."

She obtained Microsoft certifications in Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint at the Fishers training site and quickly found a new job as an administrative assistant in marketing for Advanced Physical Therapy in Indianapolis.

After 30 years in the workforce, Ambler wanted part-time employment. Her new position includes a four-day workweek, full benefits, vacation time off and a decent salary.

"It's even better than my last job, plus I get challenged," she said. "I got the job because my productivity increased with the certifications that I had. It was exactly what I needed."

The IT training program is funded by a $927,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor and $231,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Other partners include the Interlocal Association, Circle-7 Workforce Investment Board, Indiana Department of Workforce Development, Ivy Tech State College, Fishers Chamber of Commerce and Fishers Town Council.