MUNCIE, Ind.-- Ball State University President John E. Worthen and Congressman David McIntosh Monday announced a $1 million grant providing workforce development training for displaced, unemployed and underemployed workers in Muncie-Delaware County.

The Muncie-Delaware County Workforce Development Initiative: Building Employment Skills Together (B.E.S.T.) was announced to local media at the corner of 1^st and Grant Streets---a pre-apprenticeship training site for B.E.S.T. trainees in the applied building trades phase of the program.

The initiative is a collaborative effort by a variety of community stakeholders including Ball State University’s Center for Organizational Resources, Delaware County Employment and Training Services, Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, Muncie Community Schools Adult Education, Delaware County Building Trades and Muncie Urban Enterprise Association.

"Representatives from these organizations have spent months planning this project to ensure delivery of programs that will truly have an impact on Delaware County's workforce," said Joanna Wallace, associate dean of Continuing Education at Ball State University. "At present, Delaware County has a very low unemployment rate. While that is very positive, it doesn't reflect the true picture. Yes, we have available jobs. But unfortunately, many of the available jobs are low skill/low wage jobs."

In order for Delaware County to attract employers offering jobs that pay high wages, it must have a workforce with the appropriate mix of skills and the ability to continuously update those skills, said Wallace.

The overriding goal of the program is to provide practical and applicable workforce skills for area workers, she said.

B.E.S.T. will provide training to approximately 1,000 people over two years via a variety of courses and field instruction opportunities. They include:

• pre-apprenticeship training
• leadership training
• Certified Training Consultant Institute
• computer training
• job search readiness skills
• financial management

Anyone over 18 years old, with or working toward a high school degree or GED and living in Delaware County is eligible to participate. Participation is free.

"Whether you're in the process of earning your GED, just out of high school, changing jobs, or starting over after several years with the same employer---or an employer with workers who need additional skills--- this initiative has a lot to offer," Wallace said.

The Muncie organizations involved in the program are just as diverse as the workers the program hopes to draw in.

Community and government groups serve as partnership advisors, providing information about B.E.S.T. to their own constituents. They include: Habitat for Humanity, Muncie Housing Authority, HUD, Concerned Citizens League, Open Door, Muncie Commission of Social Status of Black Males, Ivy Tech State College and several others.

For more information on how to participate in B.E.S.T., call Connie Trout at the Delaware County Employment and Training Service, 765-289-1861 (ext. 115).

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information about this story, please contact Joanna Wallace at (765) 285-1588 or Kristi Brenock at (765) 285-1564)