Indiana Workforce Efforts Highlighted at AGC Workforce Summit

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Helping Fill Indiana Construction Jobs

While Indiana’s heavy highway and utility construction industry is booming, it still needs people to fill jobs.

Indiana has several educators and industry professionals leading efforts to improve the Hoosier state’s workforce issue within the heavy highway and utility construction industry. These efforts, like BY Roads, horizontal pathways and integration into high school construction educational programs are blazing trails for the rest of the country.

David Dalton, workforce development director at the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), and Eric Fisher, construction and engineering teacher at Hamilton Heights High School, had the opportunity to share their workforce progress at the AGC Workforce Summit in St. Louis on October 13. Julia Polston, manager of talent development at Indiana Constructors, Inc. (ICI), joined Dalton and Fisher at the summit.

David Dalton (INDOT – left), Eric Fisher (Hamilton Heights High School – middle), Julia Polston (ICI – left)

One unique component to the success of Indiana’s highway workforce development efforts is partnership. Educators need industry and industry needs educators. Programs like the civil construction pathway at Hamilton Heights High School and another at Garrett High School are built around hands-on training. These schools have partnered with industry to bring real life opportunities to their students.