New Report Highlights Urgent Need for Workforce Upskilling and Reskilling in Indiana

Ivy Tech Community College, in collaboration with TEConomy Partners, LLC. today released a white paper that – for the first time – estimates the number of Hoosiers who will need to acquire new skills through non-degree credentials to meet Indiana’s workforce demands and drive economic growth during the next decade.

The report, titled Indiana’s Workforce Transformation: Understanding the Need for Upskilling and Reskilling in a Changing Economy, identifies the demand for non-credit skills training in Indiana's key industry sectors: advanced manufacturing; business, logistics, and supply chain; healthcare; and technology. The report finds that 69% of job openings in these sectors will require some form of postsecondary education and training, and during the next decade, Indiana will need to upskill or reskill more than 82,000 working adults each year via non-degree credentials to keep pace with evolving workforce needs.

The number of Hoosiers who will need to reskill or upskill each year is more than the population of Bloomington and includes incumbent workers as well as high school students entering the workforce in the next decade. Just more than half (53%) of Indiana high school graduates pursue education and training beyond high school, according to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.

Non-degree credentials are industry-recognized certifications, certificates, licenses and other short-term training programs – such as apprenticeships – that provide specialized skills and knowledge without requiring a traditional associate or bachelor’s degree. These credentials can be completed in a matter of weeks or months rather than years.

“As Indiana’s workforce engine, Ivy Tech is committed to providing the high-quality, industry-aligned education and training that our state and employers need to drive economic growth and prosperity,” said Dr. Sue Ellspermann, president, Ivy Tech Community College. “This research underscores the urgent need to help Hoosiers acquire new or specialized skills as technologies such as automation and artificial intelligence continue to transform our workforce and economy.”

Nearly seven in 10 (69%) projected job openings in Indiana’s key sectors will require a high school education plus additional skills training. During the next decade, Indiana will need to upskill or reskill more than 82,000 learners through non-degree credentials to meet workforce demands in four key industry sectors:

• Advanced manufacturing: In Indiana, an estimated 18,300 annual positions will require non-degree credentials, including roles such as technicians, machinists, maintenance roles and programmers.
• Transportation and logistics: Across the state, the sector will see a demand for 24,000 positions annually, including truck drivers, mechanics and technicians, with a growing need for workers skilled in digital logistics and supply chain technologies.
• Healthcare: Approximately 38,700 annual openings in Indiana’s healthcare sector will require credentials, with high demand for nurses, medical assistants and healthcare technicians.
• Technology: At least 1,300 technology roles, including software developers, systems analysts and cybersecurity specialists, will require non-degree credentials across sectors like healthcare, manufacturing and logistics.

Indiana employers overwhelmingly recognize the urgent need to modernize, reskill or upskill their existing workforce. In a survey of employers who already partner with Ivy Tech to provide skills training to their employees, more than 60% anticipate upcoming occupational or technical training needs, and 62% see a need for non-technical and soft skills training. For employers not yet working with Ivy Tech, 74% report a current or near-term need to skill up their workforce, but just more than half (56%) are actively working with training partners to do so.

As Indiana’s statewide community college system and producer of nearly half (49%) of all postsecondary credentials awarded to Hoosiers, Ivy Tech is uniquely positioned to help meet the state’s annual skills training needs. However, the research makes it clear that a statewide effort is required to meet future workforce demands. The report includes recommended actions that employers, state agencies and other education and training providers can take to build a resilient workforce that supports Indiana’s economic future.

“Workforce is the economic driver,” said Indiana Secretary of Commerce David J. Adams. “Our ability to develop, recruit and retain talent here in Indiana is critically important, and that’s why Governor Braun and I are so focused on supporting the upskilling and reskilling of our incumbent Hoosier workforce. These research findings underscore the fundamental paradigm shift employers are going to have to wrap their arms around as they continue building a workforce that will strengthen the Hoosier economy.” 

Indiana’s Workforce Transformation: Understanding the Need for Upskilling and Reskilling in a Changing Economy was made possible through funding from Lilly Endowment, Inc. The full report is available at IvyTech.edu/Skills-Training.

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