IWA mission

Indiana's 12 Local Area Workforce Boards are the state's most regionally grounded talent infrastructure. Two independent reports by Pathemy Strategies, Unlocking the Power of Indiana's Workforce Development Boards (October 2025) and the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute's From Programs to Pathways (October 2026), show that Indiana has the pieces of a strong workforce system but has not yet connected them around the employers and Hoosiers they serve. Five lessons stand out:

1. The need is urgent. Indiana must upskill or reskill more than 82,000 residents a year through 2035, and 69% of growth jobs will require training beyond high school.
2. Resources have shrunk. WIOA funding to local boards fell from $41.1 million in 2015 to $34.6 million in 2025, leaving Indiana 30th nationally per capita. Boards must find more opportunities to partner directly with employers.
3. Fragmentation is the core problem. Workforce and social services sit in separate agencies, and referrals between them are not consistently tracked.
4. Peer states lead with local boards. Texas, Florida, and Michigan use their boards to connect benefits, training, and employment.
5. Medicaid work requirements are an immediate test. Starting in 2027, many Healthy Indiana Plan members must log 80 hours a month of work or training, and boards and WorkOne centers are the natural front door.

Workforce development is economic development, and as the state builds around its 15 READI regions, local boards should be at the table. In 2024, boards used about $109 million to serve 288,000 Hoosiers and 18,200 employers, and their connections to employers, jobseekers, and educators make them the human capital arm of economic development. While local economic development officials prepare sites, infrastructure, and incentives, boards supply workforce data and training, so regions can offer prospects and expanding Indiana businesses shovel-ready sites in talent-ready communities.

The Indiana Workforce Alliance gives the 12 boards one organized voice in state policy. We are working with the state to improve workforce data, partnering with the Department of Workforce Development, the Department of Education, and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and building strong relationships with the Indiana Chamber, the Indiana Manufacturers Association, and Ivy Tech to further our shared goals.