The unemployment rate in northeast Indiana has been running below 5%, the labor force grew for the first time in 10 months in March, and employers throughout the region are hiring. By a number of metrics, the region's workforce landscape seems to be healthy and the economy rebounding from a virus-fueled slowdown. But there is one glaring exception. Throughout virtually every industry in northeast Indiana, employers are asking the same question: Where are the workers? There is an air of...

Providers of Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs will observe northeast Indiana’s CTE Awareness Month in May with signing ceremonies. Northeast Indiana Works and its partners designated the month in 2019 and inaugural signing activities were conducted throughout the region. The pandemic prevented such events from being held in 2020. CTE programs teach specific career skills to high school students that prepare them for work after graduation or serve as a bridge to post-secondary...

Northeast Indiana Works has launched an informational website page for the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) program. The development of the page was done in conjunction with input from Catherine Lawell, director of re-employment pathways at the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD), and Shelley McClintock, program director of DWD’s re-employment services and Older Workers Programs. Under the RESEA program, people who have filed for unemployment benefits for...

In late October, Brenda Barton took an Amtrak from Colorado to northeast Indiana, where she had relatives and where she wanted to get a new start after spending 12 years in prison for a felony sex-related conviction. She had made the most of her life in prison, availing herself of numerous mental health and drug rehabilitation programs, and getting her GED, short-term certifications, and a scattering of college credits. She also began healing from a lifetime of being sexually abused, beginning...

Allen County Commissioner Rich Beck has been named regional chief elected official for the Northeast Indiana Works board. Beck replaces former Adams County Commissioner Doug Bauman. The regional chief elected official position for workforce development boards is required by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. The person holding the position has a variety of responsibilities, including serving as a point of contact for other regional elected officials, the governor, the Indiana...

All 11 WorkOne Northeast career centers have reopened by appointment only. People can make appointments by calling the centers. The locations and phone numbers for the centers can be found at www.neinworks.org/workone-locations Safety precautions must be followed in the centers, including wearing masks and social distancing.