Announcing Skillful Indiana!

By Zoë Baird, CEO and President, the Markle Foundation, and Beth Cobert, CEO of Skillful, a Markle Initiative

Today, we are pleased to share the next chapter in Skillful’s journey – expansion of formal operations into a second state. Together with Governor Eric J. Holcomb of Indiana, Microsoft Philanthropies, LinkedIn, Walmart, Lumina Foundation, Purdue University and Purdue Extension, the Markle Foundation is bringing Skillful to Indiana. Our shared goal is to equip all Hoosiers with the opportunity to flourish in a changing economy.

Helping all Americans successfully navigate the changing nature of work is the challenge of our time and demands bold solutions. Skillful Indiana is just such a solution, designed to engage employers, educators, policymakers and workforce development organizations to create a labor market in which skills are valued, and people are able to more easily access the information and education they need to secure good jobs. At Skillful we believe skills are what matter, learning should be lifelong, and pathways to education, training and employment are varied and should be expanded further. Skillful Indiana will help people identify high-demand jobs and the skills they need to fill them, and help employers find and keep the talent they need to grow.

We were drawn to Indiana for many reasons, first among them a governor who has made workforce development a priority and is dedicated to creating a labor market that works for everyone. Governor Holcomb is a founding member of the Skillful State Network, a coalition of 20 governors who have made innovation in workforce development a state priority and are acting as laboratories for innovation to lead the transformation to the digital economy. We’re looking forward to working with the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet and collaborating with Indiana’s local workforce development boards. Indiana is also home to organizations like Lumina Foundation, a national leader in making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all; as well as Purdue University, recognized for its innovative educational options and extensive network of campuses.

In the next decade, Indiana will need more than 1 million skilled workers to fill open jobs and support economic growth. Working with our national and local partners, Skillful is tailoring Skillful Indiana’s programs to the unique strengths and needs of the state: employer programs for Indiana’s distinctive mix of large and small, urban and rural employers; education initiatives tailored to Indiana’s innovative higher education system, and investment in career coaches as an important support for Hoosiers navigating educational and job opportunities.

In 2016, Skillful Colorado was launched with the support and partnership of Governor John Hickenlooper and so many others across Colorado committed to helping Coloradans flourish in today’s digital economy. It’s exciting to see our work in Colorado grow beyond its borders, even as Skillful’s roots continue to deepen there. We’re heartened to see momentum building behind our efforts to help all Americans, regardless of how they develop their skills, achieve their potential in a rapidly changing economy.