Indiana Department of Workforce Development

NDIANA DEPARTMENT OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT The Department of Workforce Development’s (DWD) role in Indiana’s economic and social landscape has expanded in recent years beyond the administration of the Unemployment Insurance program and its oversight of federal funding sources to local workforce development boards. The DWD has spearheaded innovative state initiatives, such as Next Level Jobs, Skill Up Indiana, and Work Indiana, that have been critical to improving the capabilities and qualities of our state’s workforce. The unequivocal success of these programs to reduce the skills gap and worker shortage in key occupations has been realized primarily through the department’s demand-driven workforce system. This employer-validated, data-driven approach to policymaking at the local, regional, and statewide levels has better aligned employers’ needs with educational institutions’ offerings and continues to inform Hoosiers’ decision-making on how to best prepare and enter high-demand, high-wage careers in Indiana.