A workforce retraining model from Lafayette may be worth bringing to Kosciusko County, officials heard Thursday. George Robertson, president of the Kosciusko Economic Development Corp., spoke at the Kosciusko County Redevelopment Commission and County Council meetings Thursday. Besides sharing the 2012 highlights for the county in economic news, he shared a workforce retraining program conducted in Lafayette that he said might be a good fit for the county. Realizing that manufacturers are not finding the right workforce, he said WorkOne West Central is partnering with area colleges to conduct a boot camp for manufacturing employees. Students come out of the eight-week course with a technical certificate as well as a stronger work ethic, he said. “Employers are grabbing up the graduates,” he told the redevelopment commission. “It’s worth exploring in this region.” He later shared that program as well as stats for the county with the council, noting that, at 7.2 percent, Kosciusko unemployment is below the statewide 8.5 percent. It’s also below neighboring counties – Elkhart and St. Joseph are both sitting above 9 percent. Last year also saw a number of successes: Chore Time Brock expanded in Milford and AIG Countertop in Syracuse, while Iconacy and Micro Machine located in Warsaw. Etna Green is seeing some development as well. “It’s a mini industrial park out there in Etna Green. Those folks are pretty happy about that,” he told the council. “This could be a year of relocations. I think Indiana will see a lot of prospects. In the Midwest, we’re about the best choice.” The downside, after that series of vacant building purchases across the county, is that “we’re out of buildings,” he added. He said he’s currently dealing with two companies that want to expand but have no buildings to move into. He said the solution many companies look for is shell buildings, which are designed to known manufacturing standards and can easily be expanded. Muncie has built about 20 in the past five years. What a company looking for a shell building asks of the city is that the site be prepared for move-in, with roads and utilities completed, as well as a tax break until they’ve moved in. “It’s a priority we need to look at,” he said. “Some businesses are looking for those exclusively.”
