Workforce Innovations in Regional Economic Development (WIRED)

"North Central Indiana is among the leading regions in the country for developing workforce innovations. The region is demonstrating innovative solutions to workforce challenges involving K-12 STEM education, an aging workforce, and connecting university assets to industry and worker needs. I applaud Purdue and its partners for the leadership they are showing."

- Emily DeRocco, Assistant Secretary, United States Department of Labor

Talent Driving Prosperity

The WIRED Initiative (Workforce Innovations in Regional Economic Development) was launched by the Department of Labor Employment Training Administration to address the critical role talent development plays in creating effective regional economic development strategies. A four-year award of $15 million was made to a 14-county region including Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Fountain, Fulton, Howard, Miami, Montgomery, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Wabash, Warren and White counties.

This grant, managed by Purdue Center for Regional Development, was completed in early 2010 with extraordinary results having exceeded every measure established by the Department of Labor. Many thanks are owed to all of our program partners for their efforts to establish this region which is now known nationally as a leader in innovative concepts to support workforce development and regional economies.

You'll see more about how 14 counties in North Central Indiana became a nationally recognized region by viewing NCI WIRED: Building a Region from the Inside Out.

To find more information about the many programs in our key initiative areas and how they each contributed to the key metrics, view these segments:

• Business Innovation Programs
• Civic Network Programs
• Entrepreneurship Programs
• Talent Development Programs

• WIRED Final Report: May 1, 2010
• NCI WIRED Outcomes Chart
• NCI Wired Summary Metrics by program (Excel 2007 Document)
• NCI WIRED featured as a case study in ‘Creating Quality Jobs – Transforming the Economic Development Landscape’
  Published by the International Economic Development Council, March 2010

Please contact Peggy Hosea phosea@purdue.edu with questions about NCI WIRED programs or program partners. By phone, reach Peggy at 765.236.0955 or 888.750.7277.

The Backstory:

The WIRED Initiative (Workforce Innovations in Regional Economic Development) was launched by the Department of Labor Employment Training Administration to address the critical role talent development plays in creating effective regional economic development strategies.

The design for WIRED was to go beyond traditional strategies for worker preparation by bringing together state, local and federal entities; academic institutions; investment groups; foundations; and business and industry to address the challenges associated with building a globally competitive and prepared workforce.

ETA announced 13 regions, including one in Indiana, that made up the WIRED 1st Generation. Each was awarded $15 million over three years to revitalize their local economy. A 14-county region that encompasses two urban centers (Kokomo and Lafayette/West Lafayette) and many rural communities covering 5,577 square miles was selected for this effort. Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Fountain, Fulton, Howard, Miami, Montgomery, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Wabash, Warren and White counties were included. The region is slow-growing; had overall low educational attainment levels; was aging rapidly; and was losing its younger citizens to other parts of the country.

As North Central Indiana WIRED was formed, the strategic partners under the leadership of Purdue Center for Regional Development committed to this challenge and opportunity. Tecumseh Area Partnership (Regional Workforce Board), the region’s two technology parks, 13 local economic development organizations, Ivy Tech Community College, Indiana University Kokomo, several units of local government, the K-12 school systems as well as other departments within Purdue united in this effort.

The following Transformation Strategies were identified:

Creating Globally Competitive Industries

WIRED has decided to build on our region's industrial strengths and our focus in this area is on moving university innovations into the region’s advanced manufacturing, advanced materials, and agribusiness firms in an effort to create clusters of innovation. We’ve developed pilot networks of industries by linking them to university innovations - technologies, technical assistance, and skill development - and integrating those innovations enterprise-wide within participating firms.

Building a Culture of Entrepreneurship

WIRED’s focus is to create a fertile region where new business can start and grow and where existing businesses have the tools to think and act more entrepreneurially. To do this we’re working with two key groups: (1) emerging and existing entrepreneurs, including high school students and individuals in new or early-stage businesses as well as (2) community leaders and supporting organizations that make up the entrepreneurship infrastructure.

Developing a Workforce with 21st Century Skills

WIRED is focusing our 21st Century Skills efforts primarily on two groups at opposite ends of the workforce age continuum: older workers (45-plus) and secondary students. Why older workers? Our region has a lot of them, a higher share than most parts of the country. Some are retiring and we would like to hang on to them a little longer. Others are transitioning, due to the changing economy, from long-tenured manufacturing jobs. We are helping them gain 21st Century Skills to broaden their choices as they look to the future. Other initiatives are focused primarily on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education. We’re helping schools adopt new STEM project-based learning models and helping to build teachers' capacities to teach in the STEM disciplines.

Weaving Supportive Civic Networks

Today’s economy requires new models of civic governance (notice that is govern-ance, not govern-ment). Governance is everyone’s responsibility. Our political institutions are set up with boundaries we call cities, counties, and services areas that are completely irrelevant in a global economy. How do we work together across jurisdictional lines? How do we support entrepreneurship? How do we innovate the way we govern? In Indiana, we talk a lot about high performance - high-performance manufacturing, high-performance workers and students (not to mention high-performance racecars!). None of this will be possible without high-performance governance. Our approach is to create opportunities to weave supportive civic networks.

The Opportunity Fund

Unique to our region’s WIRED grant, NCI has established a multi-million dollar Opportunity Fund to invest in innovation ideas that support the overall WIRED goals.

These boldly integrated workforce development, economic development, and Skill development initiatives charted the course for helping to transform the North Central Indiana regional economy.

The NCI WIRED grant was completed on January 31, 2010. Our region exceeded all of the objectives established by the DOL, has strengthened the ties with local, state and federal partners and bequeathed to the region a sustaining network of committed allies to continue the momentum that has begun.

Please contact Peggy Hosea phosea@purdue.edu with questions about NCI WIRED programs or program partners. By phone, reach Peggy at 765.236.0955 or 888.750.7277.