BIG NEWS!
Ripley County Community Foundation Receives Education-Workforce Partnership Planning Grant
RIPLEY COUNTY, Ind., June 21, 2016 – The Ripley County Community Foundation has been named as one of five awardees of an exclusive Education-Workforce (EWIN) Planning Grant. The grant, awarded by the University of Indianapolis Center for Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL), will be managed by Ripley County EcO, which is an initiative of the Foundation.
According to CELL, the five education-workforce partnerships will form a statewide network of education, industry, and community leaders that will work collectively to create pathways systems within their regions. The partnerships span fifteen schools districts and two career centers located in five workforce development regions:
• Elkhart County (R2)
• Boone County (R5)
• Jay & Blackford counties (R6)
• Ripley County (R9)
• Perry County (R11)
Cheryll Obendorf, EcO Director, stated, “We are excited to receive this grant and the technical assistance CELL will provide in the development of career pathways in Computer and Information Technology, which impacts every economic sector in our region. The planning grant will enable us to explore other locations in the country where similar pathways are already in place. Taking those best practices into consideration, we will be in an excellent position to create a framework and a grant proposal for future funding to support the pathway’s implementation.”
In addition to covering travel costs to promising practice sites such as Nashville Academies, New York P-TECH, and Huntsville City Schools, the grant provides recipients access to technical assistance from CELL staff members while designing their pathway implementation plans. Assistance will include facilitated sessions on asset mapping, skills mapping, and the development of a work-based learning/professional skills continuum.
Obendorf noted that any partner interested in supporting the project should contact her at the Ripley County Community Foundation office at 812-933-1098.
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About the Ripley County Community Foundation’s EcO Initiative
The mission of Ripley County EcO is to align and coordinate educational resources in order to prepare a skilled workforce to meet industry demands and projections with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). A dedicated advisory group comprised of local educators, business leaders and public officials guides the work of EcO.
CONTACTS
Ripley County Community Foundation EcO
Amy Streator, Executive Director
astreator@rccfonline.org
Cheryll Obendorf, EcO Director
cao.eco15@gmail.com
University of Indianapolis CELL
Shannon Doody
doodys@uindy.edu
