Batesville Business and Schools Part of Manufacturing Conference

The Indiana Manufacturers Association will present the Employer and Educator Work-Based Learning Conference Thursday, Aug. 16, at the Ivy Tech Culinary and Conference Center, 2820 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis. The event will run from 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. with time allotted for peer networking.

"This important event will feature examples of successful employer and educator partnerships taking place around our state," said IMA President and CEO Brian Burton. “We know that collaboration is key to addressing our industry’s growing skills gap; and while there is no silver bullet solution to our workforce challenges, building more work-based learning programs for youth and adults is a huge leap in the right direction.”

The daylong program will include a morning panel of employer/educator collaborative partners including Batesville Co-op and Manufacturing Camp featuring Hillenbrand, Batesville Tool & Die, Ivy Tech and Batesville Community School Corp.; Integrated Technology Education Program featuring FCA USA, Hamilton Heights School Corp. and Ivy Tech; Advanced Manufacturing Technician Program featuring Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana and Vincennes University; and Lewis Cass Polytechnic Academy. This panel will be facilitated by R.D. Parpart, Steelworker for the Future, ArcelorMittal USA.

The afternoon panel, specifically around challenges with youth work-based learning programming, will include representatives from the Indiana Office of Work-Based Learning and Apprenticeship, Indiana State Board of Education, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship, Madison Consolidated Schools, Lewis & Wagner LLP, and Jackson-McCormick Insurance & Employee Benefits.

Speakers include Burton; Ivy Tech Community College President Dr. Sue Ellspermann; Dr. Nathan Hartman, Purdue Indiana Next Generation Manufacturing Competitiveness Center; Cook Group President Pete Yonkman; and Brad Rhorer, Subaru of Indiana Automotive senior manager of human resources.

The conference will bring together 300 attendees from industry and education, as well as state agencies, policymakers and legal and human resource representatives.

The conference will take place at the Ivy Tech Culinary & Conference Center, located in Indianapolis, IN 46208.

Admission is free; however, space is limited, so registrants should sign up immediately by visiting https://www.indianamfg.com/events.

For more information, please contact IMA at [email protected].