Indiana is second in the nation for automobile manufacturing, and first in manufacturing overall said Eric Holcomb, the Lieutenant Governor of Indiana, at Toyota Indiana’s 20th anniversary celebration May 25.
According to a 2014 Bureau of Economic Analysis report, durable goods manufacturing, which includes the automotive industry, comprises the largest portion of Indiana’s GDP. The manufacturing sector has been hit hard by a national worker shortage, and many businesses looking to expand can’t find qualified workers.
To combat this, Holcomb said Indiana is emphasizing the importance of technical education and integrating the skills required in advanced manufacturing into collegiate programs.
Toyota Indiana and Vincennes University have partnered to create the Toyota Advanced Manufacturing Program, in which students work at Toyota while earning a degree over two years. The program aims to give students necessary skills and to provide businesses with qualified workers.
“Indiana has put a real emphasis on making sure the workforce requirements of the 21st century are being met in our schools at a very early age all the way up through higher learning,” Holcomb said.