Growth council gets $10,000 grant

TimesMail

BEDFORD — The Lawrence County Economic Growth Council was awarded $10,000 for a local career coaching grant by the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet.
The GWC Thursday announced the allocation of almost $1 million in grant money to 14 grantees.

The Local Career Coaching Grant is an opportunity for K-12 representatives, post-secondary representatives, employers and community-based organizations to collaborate on a comprehensive, career-focused solution for their community.
 
This planning grant from the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet will allow further exploration of county and regional level career navigation opportunities, according to Joe Timbrook, director of career development for the Lawrence County Economic Growth Council.

The money will allow the grant team to work collaboratively in providing innovative solutions to align K-adult coaching strategies county-wide, Timbrook said in an email.
The team is comprised of North Lawrence Community School and Mitchell Community School staff as well as the North Lawrence Career Center. It also includes numerous community organizations and employers, he said.
 
According to the announcement from the GWC, the goal is for partners to work together to create a sustainable system for the delivery of local, state and national career information, as well as the educational attainment levels required for those careers. The system should provide students and adults with opportunities to participate in experiential learning and training in order to make well-informed decisions about their futures.

“The focus of the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet is aligning the systems of workforce and education-related programs in the state. The Local Career Coaching grantees are taking that mission directly to their schools and communities to ensure residents have the information they need,” said Teresa Lubbers, cabinet chair and Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education. “We look forward to seeing the results of their hard work and collaboration, including how to scale best practices and share information with future partners.”

The Governor’s Workforce Cabinet was created by SEA 50 during the 2018 Legislative Session to replace the State Workforce Innovation Council. The bill outlined the Cabinet’s membership requirements and its duties—including requiring the Cabinet to review all workforce-related programs, college and career funding and develop a comprehensive career navigation and coaching system. More information is available at www.in.gov/gwc.

Grant applicants could apply for a planning grant or an implementation grant. Applicants were required to commit a 25% local match for funding and limit administrative expenses to 5% of the total grant.