InsideIndianaBusiness.com Report

January 30 , 2006      

The certification will serve as a supplement to a high school diploma or GED and will address skills employers are looking for in prospective employees including computer and life skills.

Source: Inside INdiana Business

Press Release
Bloomington, Indiana-Officials at Ivy Tech Community College - Bloomington announced today that the college along with the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce's (GBCC) Franklin Initiative, Monroe County Community School Corporation (MCCSC) and Work One are launching a new certification program called HIRE (Help In Reaching Employment). The HIRE certification program has been created to supplement a high school diploma or GED and will address skills that employers have indicated they are searching for in prospective employees.

Brenda McLane, Ivy Tech Community College - Bloomington's Executive Director of Workforce & Economic Development, says the HIRE program documents an individual's basic workforce literacy, computer, and life skills that the business community feels are necessary for productivity and future growth. "Each individual completing all three components of the certification program are expected to gain employment or increase their level of employability."

Thirty individuals from a cross-section of the community will pilot the HIRE Certification program, targeted to begin in late spring. once it is operational The pilot group will consist of 10 graduating high school seniors, 10 displaced workers and 10 welfare recipients from the community.

The certification covers basic skills like reading for information, applied math, locating information, computer skills in keyboarding, working with word processing software, and using the Internet and email. The program also covers life skills like critical thinking, conflict management, personal finance, health, the importance of teamwork and customer service. Work Keys, an assessment program endorsed by the State of Indiana's Department of Workforce Development department, will be used to assess individuals in three areas: reading for information, applied math, and locating information.

Ivy Tech has been working with local employers, particularly those who are members of the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, to recognize the certification and to gain support for the program. Ivy Tech hopes that employers will give preferential treatment in the hiring process to those that complete the certification.

For more information on this new certification, employers can contact Brenda McLane, Executive Director of Workforce and Economic Development, at 812-330-6039.

Source: Ivy Tech Community College .