Indiana had more than 136,000 job openings in 2022. One reason, he says, is that hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers don’t have the necessary skills to join the workforce.
Commission testimony last week found that 80% of Hoosiers with disabilities are unemployed and an estimated 60% of poverty-stricken adult Hoosiers benefit from temporary assistance programs for needy families. Both populations could benefit under new legislation that helps tie underskilled workers to businesses.
“This is an undeveloped workforce pipeline that can really fill this labor shortage,” said Hannah Carlock, director of public policy at Ark of Indiana. provides access to low-income Hoosiers and individuals with disabilities into the workforce and helps employers take on workers with little or no work experience.”
Carlock, who advocates for the organization on behalf of Hoosiers with disabilities, said the myths surrounding disabled employees make employers hesitant to hire them.
House Bill 1160 This includes a pilot program for adult students, an in-service worker training program, and the first increase in TANF qualifications in over 30 years.
“I think we all know there is a labor shortage. “We have these people, especially those with disabilities, who want the opportunity to be part of the workforce.”
Utilizing TANF for human resource development
Clere’s bill proposes creating a program to work with private companies for workforce development, with a focus on training Hoosiers and Hoosiers with disabilities using TANF.
“Incumbent training, for those unfamiliar with the term, refers to expanding someone already working or a specific job. Or we’re looking at it per employer, which is very specific.
Mr. Clere described two fictitious companies, Company A and Company B. Company A has many low-skilled positions, but employees are stuck with nowhere to advance. In this scenario, Company A goes to another company and has no incentive to train its employees.
Company B, on the other hand, is recruiting a higher-skilled, higher-paid workforce that builds on Company A’s skills, but no one is qualified to do the job.
Under this program, the Workforce Development Authority will identify Company A’s low-skilled workers as potentially trained to fill vacant positions at Company B. Workforce – Match jobs currently open at Company A.
“With this ecosystem concept, what we are trying to do is create a win-win situation,” says Clere. “(This) helps address the workforce crisis while also having the ability to get people into the workforce who didn’t have the opportunity.”
claire withheld Commission Amendment Outline employer reimbursement based on workforce training programs and other stakeholder details, citing additional work needs. Under federal guidelines, TANF may reimburse the employer of her recently hired TANF recipient’s salary in full for her first month and partially for her next five months. can.
Employer program funding could come from next-level job employer training grants in addition to TANF, according to the accounting accompanying the bill.
Eligibility Change, Benefit Increase
Mr. Clare told the commission that the eligibility guidelines and increased benefits are essentially the same. Senate versionAnyone living in extreme poverty, defined as 50% of the federal poverty line, is eligible. Currently, her TANF eligibility cutoff in Indiana is 13-16% of the federal poverty level, depending on family size.
That bill and Clere’s bill also included an increase in TANF for the first time since 1988, with annual adjustments similar to Social Security to accommodate inflation.
Indiana receives about $206 million annually from the federal government for TANF, but regularly leaves more than $50 million in surplus. Indiana has the strictest eligibility standards in the country and spends just 5% on direct benefits to Hoosiers.
State governments refer to TANF as “slush moneyBecause the federal flexibility of the program allows states to spend funds on a variety of programs such as childcare, adult education, and more.
Indiana spends just over a third of its funds, up to $61.8 million, on the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF). December 2022 report From the Congressional Research Service. The largest portion of Indiana’s spending, 42.4%, is “other,” which does not include basic assistance, childcare, education/training, refundable tax credits, preschool, child welfare, administrative or emergency, and short-term spending. fall into the category of Period benefits.
Other provisions of the bill
The Workforce Training Bill also includes a pilot program for education and career support services under the jurisdiction of the Higher Education Commission, which funds wraparound services for students but does not include tuition. Is not …
Many schools now offer career counseling services, but wraparound services such as transportation, housing assistance, and childcare are not often available.
Mary Jane Michalak, vice president for government relations at Ivy Tech Community College, said while current services help all students, they are especially beneficial for students of color who struggle to juggle parenting and school. It is said that
“We found that students who were engaged in our career activities were retained 16 percent higher than those who were not,” she said.
The bill also removes the TANF family limit, which prevents families who already have dependents from receiving additional assistance if another child is born, and encourages dependents to seek family planning counseling. increase.
The real challenge of the bill lies ahead. The committee unanimously voted to send the bill to the House Ways and Means Committee.
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