Give Yourself the Gift of Education

I often hear customer concerns from the wonderful professionals at the WorkOne Centers in Eastern Indiana. These concerns help me focus in on the needs, wants and wishes of our Economic Growth Region 6 communities. Here is one of the most frequently asked questions I hear from a dislocated, laid off or down-sized worker, "How can I make sure this doesn't happen to my kids?"

My answer often comes as a surprise and here it is: The key to helping others is to help yourself first. In other words, the best contribution I can make to someone else is my own personal development. If I become 10 times wiser, 10 times stronger, think of what that will do for my adventure as a mother…as a wife…as a friend…as a business colleague.

The best gift you can give to your family is your ongoing personal development and new learning. Getting better, stronger, becoming wiser is a valuable philosophy that I think parents should pick up. If the parents are okay, the kids have an excellent chance of being okay. Work on your personal development; that's the best gift you can give to your family, your children…and yourself…this holiday season.

Working to Raise Everyone Up One Level

The Indiana Department of Workforce Development and its WorkOne Center's vision is to focus attention on occupations that will pay higher wages and help Hoosiers achieve a better quality of life. To meet employer demand and fill these occupations, we need to encourage education, raise Indiana workers up one level and continue to increase their skills. New job listing reports will continue to include the entry-level positions frequently posted with the job-matching system for each area, but will now include examples of occupations that can take a worker "one step up" in wages with a small amount of additional education, training, skill development or work experience.

A dislocated or underemployed electronic equipment assembler, for example, has developed skills such as equipment selection, troubleshooting and repairing. These are some of the same skills that are vital to a successful career as a plumber or pipe fitter. With some on-the-job training or perhaps an apprenticeship, the worker may develop installation and complex problem solving skills to increase their salary by more than $15,000 (based on state median wages).

These "one step up" occupations are chosen only when they have been defined as "in demand" for Indiana and/or the region. For an occupation to be considered "in demand", it must be projected to show employment growth at or above 10 percent over the next decade, and/or rank high in terms of total job openings (new job growth and replacements) over the next decade.

Stop in or make and appointment with a Career Counselor at your nearest WorkOne Center to discuss your region's (Economic Growth Region 6) high skill, high wage demand occupations:

· Agri-Business

· Advanced Manufacturing

· Healthcare

· Logistics/Warehousing/Truck Driving

· Maintenance Technician

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Tracy Dishman is the marketing director for WorkOne and Eastern Indiana Regional Workforce Board (EIRWB). Readers may write to Dishman at P.O. Box 1856, Muncie, Indiana 47308-1856 or tdishman@work-one.org.