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Region 7 workforce board outlines apprenticeship, training and budget challenges
Summary
Greg Lee of the Region 7 workforce board briefed commissioners on programs including apprenticeships, employer training grants, and staffing; he highlighted a regional funding allocation disparity and cuts to the JAG youth program.
Greg Lee, director associated with the Region 7 workforce board, briefed the county commissioners on local workforce programs, funding streams and recent outcomes, saying the board is "completely grant funded" and runs multiple programs for employers and job seekers across six counties.
Lee said Region 7 serves Vigo, Vermillion, Parke, Clay, Sullivan and Putnam counties and has a 25-member board composed of 13 business representatives and 12 members from nonprofits, education and government. He told the commissioners the board manages 11 grants and offers youth and adult programs, registered apprenticeships, work-based learning, employer training grants and on-the-job training.
Lee described recent apprenticeship funding and outcomes: the region received $125,000 last year for apprenticeship work and received another $125,000 for the current cycle; the state also recently got about $6.5 million in federal funds for apprenticeship expansion. He cited a successful registered nurse apprenticeship with Union Health that enrolled roughly 60 nurses and had an approximate 98 percent completion rate.
Lee also described the employer training grant program: employers may apply for up to $50,000 per grant cycle for training incoming or existing employees. Certification-based training can be reimbursed up to $5,000 per employee; in-house employer training is eligible for $1,000 per employee. Employers using the grant must pay a minimum of $19 an hour to participants and provide a 5 percent wage increase for existing employees who complete training, Lee said. He reported Region 7 has spent about $1.8 million on employer training since 2022, with Vigo County accounting for approximately $1.3 million.
Lee noted program and funding constraints: Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) was largely cut in the current state budget, reducing regional JAG sites from 17 to an expected six for the coming school year unless new funds are found. He also pointed to a regional allocation discrepancy: Region 7 received about 4 percent of state allocations while other regions received larger shares; Lee said the region consistently spends the funds it receives and has requested more.
Commissioners thanked Lee for the presentation and asked questions about allocations and local outreach. No formal county action followed; commissioners invited Lee to return as needed.
