Jay County manufacturing training program earns SEAL

PORTLAND, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — A manufacturing training program launched by the John Jay Center for Learning in the Jay County town of Portland has been designated as a State Earn and Learn program. The SkillsTrac training program helps adult students to earn a state certification in a variety of manufacturing jobs. The program was designed and is supported by local manufacturing companies that are trying to build a pipeline of talent in east central Indiana. It includes students and manufacturers from Jay, Blackford, Wells, and Adams counties, along with added involvement from companies in Ohio.

“By partnering with the end user to create and deliver quality education and training, we are enabling students to better their lives financially and positively contribute to the communities in which they work and live,” said Rusty Inman, director of the John Jay Center for Learning. “We are succeeding in our mission and lives are being changed through our work.”

SEAL programs are geared toward both adult and youth populations, and they satisfy Indiana’s new graduation pathway requirements. Claire Berger, regional director of the Office of Work-Based Learning and Apprenticeship, says SkillsTrac SEAL program should be held up as a model for effective adult training around industrial maintenance.

“Rusty and his team have collaborated with the key stakeholders in the area to build a program that meets the needs of not only the industries in and around Portland, but the people of Portland and the community,” said Berger. “Years of discussions with stakeholders, planning for the development of the lab space, and finding the right resources has resulted in an extremely strong, flexible program.”