The Many Faces of Regionalism PCRD – April 17, 2008

1. The Many Faces of RegionalismPCRD – April 17, 2008 Presenter: Pete Ruthenburg, Chairman

2. Southwest Indiana WIRED

3. Southwest Indiana WIRED Regional Profile • 9 Counties • Would fit in an 80 mile by 80 mile square • Population 422,000 • Primarily Rural • Except county containing Evansville is 173,000 (41% of total population)

4. Southwest Indiana WIRED Regional Profile • Workforce of 222,000 • Manufacturing employs 22% of workers • Unemployment 4.4% but significant underemployment exists • Average wage is only 87% of U.S. average wage • No direct highway access to state capital Build -

5. Southwest Indiana WIRED Timeline • “Runner-up” in original WIRED grant cycle (January 2006) • Awarded $5,000,000 “Second Generation” WIRED grant (January 2007) • Grant sub-recipient – Grow Southwest Indiana Workforce Board, Inc. (Economic Group Region 11) • Southwest Indiana WIRED is a division of the Workforce Board with its own Executive Director, Staff, and Authority

6. Our Approach to WIRED Overarching Goal Create more high skill, high paying jobs in Southwest Indiana Key Strategies • Focus on high growth industries – targeted approach • Prepare the workers – education and training • Create the jobs – economic development • Match the jobs and workers – career awareness and planning

7. Regional Industries We Believe Will Grow And Provide More Good Jobs • Advanced Manufacturing • Transportation • Plastics • Office Furniture • Energy • Healthcare • Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics

8. WIRED’s Golden Triangle Education Business Workers High Skill High Paying Jobs Workforce Development Economic Development

9. Education • WIRED targets high schools, community colleges and universities • WIRED mission focuses on • Technical skills training – high school, Ivy Tech, Vincennes University, and at employers • “STEM” – Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics – reaching down to high schools led by USI • Also, Project Lead The Way (PLTW) pre-engineering for high school • Linking students from high school to community colleges and universities by dual credit and shared resources • Post Secondary education is critical for emerging workers!

10. Workforce Development • Career awareness; raising aspirations • Skills assessment • Existing worker skill upgrading • Focus on shortage areas, examples: • Industrial Maintenance Workers • Registered Nurses • Training grants for employers

11. Economic Development • Available workforce with the right skills is key • Existing business retention and attraction • New business attraction • Teamwork with county local economic development officers and Economic Development Coalition of SW Indiana • Co-locating WIRED with Economic Development

12. Supporting Transformational Initiatives • Create support network for Entrepreneurs • Build on location and transportation assets to accelerate Transportation, Distribution and Logistics sector • Ensure business and education access to high speed Broadband

13. Support Network for Entrepreneurs (They create 50%+ of new jobs) • Early exposure of high school students • University Idea and Biz Plan contests • Entrepreneur Boot Camps and training • Reduce barriers to business formation • Establish a process and clearinghouse for technology transfer

14. Building the Transportation, Distribution and Logistics (TDL) Cluster • TDL examples: Shoe Carnival and T.J. Maxx • Promote Regional Intermodal Facility (Train/Truck) and adjacent business park for containerized trade • Capitalize on the four Ohio River ports • TDL education – Certificates / Degrees

15. Broadband AccessLeveling the Regional Playing Field • Lack of high speed internet hampers business, education, healthcare, individuals • Professional study – current access, plans of commercial carriers, future technologies • Inform and provide current datato Region’s leaders to drive community plans • Provide individual communities with data and ideas to pursue greaterbandwidth and speeds

16. Major Investments STEM Education and Project Lead The Way $600,000 Targeted Industry Scholarships $600,000 Entrepreneurial Support $545,000 TDL Intermodal Study $325,000 Broadband Study and Promotion $300,000

17. Partners - Education Ivy Tech Community College Oakland City University University of Evansville University of Southern Indiana Vincennes University

18. Partners – Economic &Workforce Development Economic Development Coalition of Southern Indiana Dubois County Area Development Corporation Growth Alliance of Greater Evansville Knox County Development Corporation SW IN Small Business Development Center Evansville Regional Business Committee WorkOne Southwest Regional Businesses

19. Observations • Open collaboration is an acquired skill, for example • Our nine counties are not a natural region; have had to work through Evansville, Jasper, and Vincennes each believing they are at center of universe • Gaining collaboration between colleges and universities has been difficult • Working through a workforce board is cumbersome but keeps the focus on talent development

20. Observations, cont’d • Current emphasis is to accelerate progress of our key initiatives – we are behind on spending • We are also emphasizing leveragingof the WIRED grant with additional grants and partnerships: • CONEXUS led statewide partnership to implement N.A.M.’s Dream It, Do It • $700,000 Alternative Energy grant request to U.S. DOL

21. Southwest Indiana WIRED - Summary • Key Measurable is the increase in the number of high skill, high paying jobs • Focus is on the most promising industry clusters • Must ensure incumbent and emerging workers have the education needed • Must train workforce with the specific skills targeted employers require • Work with Economic Development to ensure creation of the high wage job opportunities and ready workers • Entrepreneurs will also create many of the desired jobs • Successful execution will increase overall regional wealth

22. Southwest Indiana WIRED Thank you! Contacts: Joe Dedman, Executive Director Phone: 812-354-4624 joe.dedman@southwestindianawired.com Theresa Current, Office Manager Phone: 812-492-4303 theresa.current@southwestindianawired.com www.southwestindianawired.com Questions?